Nobody Knows This Secret
by Verina100
Summary: This is a crossover fanfic about Chloe from Smallville and Dean Winchester. The boys have come to see whats up with smallville and Chloe finds herself confronted by the past facing someone who she thought was dead. Will Dean meet someone he can't let go o
1. Chapter 1

**Nobody Knows This Secret**

_Hey ppl this is my first sn/sv fanfic so I hope you like it. I always wondered what it would have been like if Chloe and Jason had been together instead of Jason and Lana. But im still hoping for a dean/chloe crossover episode. I don't own anything from smallville or supernatural, none of the characters, places etc. I __**wish**__ I owned the Winchester boys. Im just building a story here. Enjoy and plz plz plz review. Thanks_

**Chapter One**

Chloe turned around and hugged her best friend and cousin tightly. "hey Lois." She said smiling. She hadn't seen Lois since she'd came back from a job assignment at New York. "Hey Chloe! How was the Big Apple?" she asked. "New York was loud and busy." Chloe said grabbing her coffee cup. "Well, I've brought you some visitors to check out your Wall of Weird." Lois said glancing at the doorway. Chloe laughed. She didn't know her Wall of Weird was an alluring attraction. "Bring 'em in." Chloe said picking up her coffee cup. Lois took a deep breath and then, "Come in guys!" she yelled. Chloe grinned and shook her head at Lois. Even though New York had been loud, her cousin was louder.

She smiled at the cute, tall and lanky guy who walked in. She saw Lois give him a warm smile. "Chloe, this is Sam Winchester. Sam this is my cousin and best friend, Chloe Sullivan, proud owner of the infamous Wall of Weird." Lois said before looking around at the doorway. "Where's that brother of yours?" she asked Sam. Sam looked at the doorway too and called, "Dean, Hey Dean!" Chloe looked at the doorway and froze. She stared into the eyes of Jason Teague. She dropped her coffee mug and put a hand to her heart. "Ja-Jason?" she asked, tears moistening her eyes. She pushed them back. Dean looked behind him and turned back to Chloe. "For you, I could be." He said smiling and winking at her. Sam rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to explain his brother's head but Lois saw Chloe shaking and rushed over to her side.

"Hey Chloe, What's wrong?" she asked quietly. "He looks like an exact copy of Jason Teague, Lana's ex." Chloe stammered. Lois nodded. She'd never met this infamous Jason but she'd heard a lot about him and about how he was dead. Chloe seemed to be thinking the same thing. "This can't be him. Jason's dead, this is just some guy who looks like him." Chloe said quietly more to herself than to Lois. Lois smiled at her softly. "Exactly." She said calming her down. Chloe cleaned up the spilt coffee and the broken mug. Meanwhile Sam was staring at the articles on the Wall of Weird, while Dean continued to stare at her perplexed. She deliberately kept her eyes on anywhere buut Dean while she explained some of the articles.

Dean stared at the girl who had just been introduced as Chloe. She was damn hot and looked like a blonde with brains. But he was shocked at the way she was avoiding him. And shocked at her collection of information. In fact he was trying to decide which was more shocking. The fact that a woman wasn't eyeing him when he was so clearly trying to catch her eye or the fact that someone seemed just as crazy about weird stuff as he and Sam were. Even if they weren't wholly supernatural events they were weird and he hadn't come across any chick who killed a werewolf. He decided to try and make some conversation. "So, this must have taken you ages to research this stuff." he saw her eyes flicker to his face before staring at a spot above his head. "Not really, I'm a journalist so researching comes naturally." She said almost smiling. Dean smiled at her. "Just like being a geek comes naturally to Sam." He said meeting her gaze. He saw the laughter in her eyes even though she was trying really hard not to smile.

Sam came over and whacked Dean on the head. "My brother's missing half his brain so sorry if he comes across as an idiot. Would you mind if I maybe borrowed some of these articles?" he asked her. Chloe frowned. These articles were special and she didn't give away take down the original copies and give them to strangers. "Why would you want my articles?" she asked. Sam and Dean exchanged looks, which didn't go unnoticed by either Chloe or Lois. "We're doing our own research." Sam said quickly. Chloe raised her eyebrows. "On my Wall of Weird?" she asked. Dean grinned. "Well if you don't like it we can research you instead." He said winking. Lois rolled her eyes, what was with this guy and his winking fest with Chloe? Did he really want his butt kicked in by her cousin? She looked at Sam who smiled apologetically. "Shut up Dean. No we're researching paranormal activities." He said quickly. He saw something flicker in Chloe's eyes. "Oh okay, well you don't have to take _those_." She said opening a file cabinet and pulling out a thick wad of articles. Sam and Dean grinned. This girl was organized.

"Were you a nerd in high school? Cause you're pretty good looking for a nerd. Unlike Sammy here, whose face has always been a nightmare." Dean said impressed at this reporter already. Sam glared at him but Chloe laughed. "Nerd? No. Smart reporter? Yes. And I think Sam's pretty cute." She said smiling at Dean. Dean mumbled something about her being high on something but she ignored him. Sam glanced at the stack of articles and Chloe sifted through them, picking out the ones the guys needed. After Sam had pocketed the articles he looked at Dean. "Shouldn't we be going?" he asked. Dean who had been momentarily lost looking at the photos of Chloe and her friends on her Wall of Weird, looked up and nodded. "Yep, let's go Sammy." he said walking towards the door. Sam said bye to Chloe and started after Dean but Dean turned around and smiled at Chloe. "Thanks Chloe, sorry for freaking you out before." He said seriously. She gave a small smile, "That's okay."

After Lois and the Winchester boys had gone Chloe sat down at her desk and stared at it miserably. The secret she had kept hidden all these years had come back and hit her in the face. And with the way she was acting, someone was bound to realize there was something going on, or that something had gone on. And she couldn't risk that. Ever since _that _had happened and ever since Jason had died, she'd started a new life. Or the old life she had before_ he_ had come into it. But Dean brought back a direct connection to Jason. His face- the exact same eyes, the mouth, nose, smile even the same hair. Slowly Chloe opened the 3rd drawer underneath the desk and rummaged through it until she found it. It was a photo of him in his coach jacket standing outside an oak tree at Smallville High. He was grinning and Chloe remembered that she was the one who had taken the photo. She leaned back in her chair and whispered, "You promised me you wouldn't come back to me." A tear trickled down her cheek and she hastily pushed the photo back into the drawer and closed her eyes.

**Author's Note: I know I know, I made a crucial mistake. Lois was there when Jensen came on Smallville as Jason Teague so she should know who he was and everything but I totally forgot and it hit me after I finished writing more than just the beginning of the story. And I can't change it coz Lois and Chloe are supposed to bond through this whole secret so unfortunately you guy's will just have to act like Lois wasn't there when he came on. But hey this is my first smallville/supernatural fic I'm posting so please don't curse me for wrecking it. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Nobody Knows This Secret**

_Hey ppl this is my first sn/sv fanfic so I hope you like it. I always wondered what it would have been like if Chloe and Jason had been together instead of Jason and Lana. But im still hoping for a dean/chloe crossover episode. I don't own anything from smallville or supernatural, none of the characters, places etc. I __**wish**__ I owned the Winchester boys. Im just building a story here. Enjoy and plz plz plz review. Thanks_

**Chapter two**

Dean glanced at Sam over an article he was reading from the Wall of Weird. "So what do you think?" he asked referring to all the weird articles. "Well something's definitely wrong. All these freaky things can't just be a coincidence. Maybe this place is like a gateway from and to a evil passage or something. Dad's journal's got some stuff on portals and gateways for evil." Sam said flicking through their dad's journal. Dean thought about it for a while but shrugged the idea away. "I don't think that's right. If all these things were evil then there'd be killings right? But no-one was killed. I'm gonna go ask Chloe about these. You can't tell me she wasn't looking into this more. She's a journalist." He said getting up. Sam frowned. "I don't think you should go there. She freaks out when she sees you and Lois was saying that something must have happened between Chloe and Jason coz Chloe's a tough person. She doesn't usuallu break down in front of everyone." Sam said. Dean grinned, "Oh _is that_ what Lois says?" he had been noticing the looks his brother and the brunette kept exchanging. Sam felt his cheeks go warm, "Shut up." He muttered going back to his laptop. Dean walked to the door. "I'm still going. I'm gonna find out about the weird stuff going on and about this Jason guy. I already know one thing; he can't be as good looking as me." He said grinning. Sam rolled his eyes. "Whatever Dean, just be careful about what you say. Not everyone's an ass like you." He said as before Dean hurled a pillow at him.

Chloe opened her house door and her heart thumped loudly. It was 'Dean'. He smiled at her and she smiled back slowly. "Hi." She said. Dean's grin grew wider now that he knew she wasn't going to break into tears at the sight of him. "Hey there Chloe. Mind if I come in and ask you some stuff." He asked peering into her home. Chloe nodded, "Sure come in." she said making way for him. She offered him a seat in her lounge room. "Usually dad's here but he's in another state working, so its just me and Lana. But she's in France as well so it's just me." She said quickly looking up to see if there was any reaction on his face. He hung his head to a side slightly. "Lana?" he asked. "She your sister?" he questioned. She looked at him sharply. "No, She was my best friend and your girlfriend." She snapped. Dean looked back surprised. "My girlfriend?" he asked. Damn, I must be getting bad if sexy blonde strangers can remember my girlfriends and I can't, Dean thought to himself. "Sorry. You look just like Jason so much. It's hard to forget it." She said shaking her head. Suddenly Dean couldn't stand it any longer. Who _was _this Jason?

"Was Jason close to you?" he asked. Chloe's eyes filled up with tears. He wanted to be. "Uhh, no we were just good friends. He was Lana's boyfriend. Lana's my best friend. She's _like a sister_ to me." She said looking up at him. Her eyes had gone blurry now. Why was she crying so much if he was just a friend? There was something wrong here. Dean cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about his death." He said softly. Chloe stared at him, unblinkingly so that her tears didn't fall. She got up abruptly and disappeared into one of the rooms. Dean sat there wondering if this was his cue to get lost or to follow her. Sam should have come. He knows how to be feminine and sweet in these situations. Dean thought annoyed. But his question was answered when she appeared again with something in her hand. She sat down and Dean could see the tears had been replaced with a defiant look. "This was Jason Teague." She said handing him the picture. Dean's mouth fell open. That was him. The guy looked identical, a Dean without the rough look. In fact the guy looked gentle and charming. But he had the same eyes, the same hair, the same nose and even the same smile. "He looks exactly like me." Dean stammered. Chloe smiled grimly. "Yeah. It's a good thing Lana's not here or she would've freaked if she saw you." Chloe said quietly.

Dean looked at her deep brown eyes. "Even worse than you did?" he asked. Chloe's mouth grew smaller and she stared hard at him. "Way worse than I did. He was her boyfriend after all." She said pointedly. Dean got up and held the photo out to her. This was too weird. He needed to go find out what shape shifter they were dealing with. "Umm, I've gotta go Chloe….Research and stuff…….I'll see you around." He said wondering why she wasn't taking the photo. Chloe shook her head. "You can keep that photo. We've already got albums. I'm sure I'll see you around Dean- What's your last name again?" she asked. "Winchester." He said offering a smile before walking out. Chloe closed the door and stared at it. "Dean Winchester." She whispered. Suddenly she felt very tired and she lay down on one of the couches. Her eyes automatically closed and she felt herself drift off.

He held his arms out to her. "Chloe, I need you. Please, I can't stay away from you because you're a part of me. You're all I have left." He whispered. She shook her head. "No, we can't do this. I'm not going to let this happen." She said crying but found herself running into his arms. The warmth of his body surrounded her and she smiled into his coach jacket. "We shouldn't." she started but he cut her off. "It's not about what we should anymore. It's about what we feel for each other." He whispered, bringing his lips to hers. Suddenly he was pulled away and Chloe opened her eyes in shock. "Chloe! Chloe, Wake up! Lois yelled smiling. Chloe looked at her groggily. "Wha- What are you doing here Lois?" she asked. Lois looked at her like she had just turned into a Lex clone. "I've got a spare key. Remember?" she asked. "Oh, yeah I forgot. Sorry but I haven't had coffee for ages. I think it's been five hours already." Chloe joked, the images of her dream still playing in her head. She glanced at her watch. It was four already. She'd been asleep for three hours already.

Lois laughed. "Let's go down to the Talon for some coffee or you'll go crazy without the caffeine." She said pulling her cousin off the couch. Chloe grinned at Lois. "You're really happy today. Any special reason?" she said smoothing down her clothes and hair. For once Lois was quiet but she was blushing lightly. "I'm just happy. It's nice outside." She said shrugging her shoulders. Chloe rolled her eyes. "Come on Lois, let's go and I'll find out what's really going on." Lois laughed again and grabbed her jacket as they walked out the door, Chloe locking it behind her.

**Author's Note: Hey ppl. What do you think? Please review. I know, the dream scene's sort of mushy and typical with all the, "I need you. Its not about what we should, It's about what we want" lol but I couldn't think of another way to let him express it in a dream. Hope you guys liked it. I think the chapters kind of short but I minimum time on the comp today.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Nobody Knows This Secret**

_Hey ppl this is my first sn/sv fanfic so I hope you like it. I always wondered what it would have been like if Chloe and Jason had been together instead of Jason and Lana. But im still hoping for a dean/chloe crossover episode. I don't own anything from smallville or supernatural, none of the characters, places etc. I __**wish**__ I owned the Winchester boys. Im just building a story here. Enjoy and plz plz plz review. Thanks_

**Chapter Three**

"So I saw Dean after he came back from your place." Lois said quietly watching Chloe drain her last sip of her 2nd cup of coffee. Chloe looked at Lois over her cup. "Yeah, he did actually. He just wanted to ask some questions about- about Jason." She said looking at the coffee mug intently. Lois stared at her but didn't want to push her. "Look Chloe I know it's hard for you to talk about it and even though I know nothing about what happened between you guys I'm here to give you all the support you need, okay? You're my family." She said putting a hand on Chloe's shoulder. Chloe felt a rush of love towards her cousin and she smiled at her. "I know and I'm sorry that I haven't told you anything about it but its complicated. I will tell you Lois but I just need some time." Chloe said quietly. Lois grinned and nodded. This made Chloe remember something and grinning herself she said, "So, you still haven't told me why you're so happy" she said. Lois laughed. "And I definitely saw that one coming." She said referring to the sudden topic change. Chloe smile grew wider, "Come on, tell me." She said. For the first time in Chloe's life, she saw her Lois smile coyly. "Well. I might have gotten a date with a cute guy." Chloe laughed. "You've dated guys heaps of times, I've never seen you become all shy about any of them." She pointed out. Lois paused and looked lost for a second. "I know, but he's different- he makes me feel different. He's deeper than any other guy I've met and at the same time he's funny and cute." She said gazing out the Talon window.

Chloe's eyebrows raised, this was something different all right, this even sounded serious. "Who is this mystery guy?" she asked her cousin, leaning in slightly. Lois grinned, her cheeks turning a shade pinker, "Sam Winchester." She said quietly. Chloe smiled, "Ooh Sam." She teased. This time Lois rolled her eyes. "Yes Sam." She said. Chloe smiled at her. "Don't worry I think he's sweet and smart. Two necessary factors in a guy." She admitted. Lois continued smiling. "Oh my god, all this talking has gotten me thirsty again. I'm gonna order another coffee, you want one?" Chloe asked. Lois shook her head. "No way, how can you drink more than a cup without getting hyper?" she asked. Chloe smirked. "Comes with being a reporter." She answered.

Dean lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He was still shocked over the photo and his likeliness with Jason. He had shown the photo to Sam, who had been as shocked as he had over it. "Hey, that is weird, he looks exactly like you. And you said he couldn't be as handsome as you hey?" he had asked grinning. Dean scowled. "This is weird Sammy. It's got to be something evil going on. We'll have to look into this." He said trying to think of anything their dad had said about demons who took your form and stayed that way. The only answer was a shape shifter. Sam rolled his eyes. "I've already told you what this is Dean. Everyone has an identical face on this earth. It's just very unlikely we're ever gonna come across that person. You just _did_." He emphasized. Dean shook his head, "Na, that's all bullshit. Look I know what this is. He was probably a shape shifter or something like that, something logical." He muttered. Sam stared at Dean in disbelief, "Okay. So you think something scientifically proven is probably wrong but a shape shifter who's stayed in one form for his whole life which, means he's not a shape shifter, is the logical explanation for all of this?" he asked. Dean's eyes narrowed. "Shut up" he muttered. Now Dean was confused lying there at 3:26 in the morning trying to figure out why this was bothering him so much. He'd come across someone who looked just like him before hadn't he? So why were Jason and _Chloe_ who was obviously closer to Jason than just a friend making him wonder about this so much? He drifted off to sleep finally with images of Chloe crying in his dreams.

The next morning the boys woke up and started their research. But it was really hard for Dean who'd been awake the whole night and he kept feeling his eyes drop heavily. Sam chucked a pillow at Dean's head grinning. "Wake up Dean." He said while Dean scowled at him. "What?" he asked, shaking his head. "My stomach's killing me. I think we should get breakfast." Sam said putting his laptop down on the bed. Dean rolled his eyes. "Well Cinderella what are you asking me for? Go get it." Sam glared at him. "I thought we could go down to the talon together?" he said hinting. Dean frowned even harder, "What am I? Your prom date? Come on Sam stop acting like a girl." He laughed and ran his hand over his face. Sam sighed exasperatedly and stood up. "Chloe's probably at the Talon coz she's supposed to go somewhere with Lois after Lois's shift. We can talk to her then, about all this weird stuff." He said throwing Dean his jacket. Dean yawned and got up, casting Sam a sly look, "Hey how do you know Lois works at the Talon, she never said anything to me when we were with her yesterday." He asked. Sam looked at him from the corner of his eye and then was suddenly interested in the door handle. "Yeah we just talked and she told me stuff." He muttered. Dean sighed and then growled in frustration. "What?" Sam asked agitated. "I don't wanna go down there. That Chloe chick freaks out every time I'm near her. She'll probably throw her muffin in my face." Dean replied stuffing his hands in his pockets. Sam shrugged his shoulders, "Then stay here. I'll talk to her." Dean shook his head and smiled sweetly. "And let you hog the food? Sammy, I may be sleep deprived but I'm not missing out on good food." He said simply. His brother rolled his eyes.

Chloe took another sip of her coffee and closed her eyes. Today she was in a very calm and surprisingly happy mood. Her latest article which was due later on today was finished, edited and ready for her boss. And now she was sitting here in the Talon waiting for Lois to finish her shift so they could go do some shopping. The door of the Talon opened and Chloe groaned. "Can't a girl get some peace and quiet around here?" she muttered to herself. The Winchester boys made their way to her table after scanning the half full coffee shop. Sam and Dean smiled innocently at her. "What do you guys want _now_?" she asked annoyed. "And hello to you too." Dean replied sitting down. She glared at him and he smiled back at her flirtatiously. Sam smiled apologetically at her. "Hey Chloe, sorry for annoying you but we just wanted to ask some stuff about your articles." He said quickly. Chloe laughed, "Okay guys. What did you say you were researching again?" she asked. Dean cleared his throat and glanced at Sam. "Um, Paranormal activities throughout America." He said quickly. She looked way too suspicious, Dean thought to himself. "And for what newspaper?" she asked stirring her coffee absentmindly. "Uh, the Southern Gazelle." Sam said making up a random name.

"The Southern Gazelle? My friend worked there until the paper closed down." She said watching Sam and Dean exchange worried glances. "Umm." Sam managed. Chloe glared at the two boys, "Why are you guys here? What are you guys here? What are you looking for?" she asked seriously. Dean thought of salvaging their lie. "Look we're here from the Gazelle Para-" "Dead wanted people don't usually get jobs as reporters Dean." Chloe cut in sharply. Both Dean and Sam sat there with their mouth gaping open. Dean stared at her his eyes wide with curiosity and-was that admiration? "H-How did you know?" he asked. "I'm good at my research." She said simply. "But me dying and-" he started. "Dean, it wasn't really hard finding out about you guys. Especially you Dean." She said quietly. Sam looked at both Dean and Chloe. There was no point in lying to her since she'd already found out about Dean. If she looked into it more she could find out more and she could get the wrong idea about them. "Dean." Sam said gently. Dean looked over at him and nodded, understanding what he was going to say. He turned to Chloe, "What did you wanna know?" he asked." Chloe stared at them carefully. "Look I know you guys aren't here on false names and all that but I didn't buy it for a second when you guys said you were reporters. So what are you guys _really_ doing here?" she asked.

Sam looked at her seriously, "What we might tell you, you might not believe it." He said. Chloe gave a short laugh. "After living here in Smallville, I'll believe everything." Sam was tempted to ask more about it but went on. "Dean and I hunt demons, evil spirits, evil creatures and anything else evil. A demon killed our parents and we have to find it and kill it if we wanna go on with our lives." Sam finally breathed out, looking at her carefully in case she wanted to do a runner on them. Chloe's mouth was slightly open and her eyebrows were raised. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry, I didn't know you guys were so……so…." She trailed off (for the first time in her life unable to express what she was feeling with words). Dean smiled grimly, "So messed up?" he offered. Chloe shook her head. "You guys are amazing." She said quietly. Dean felt his insides squirm. Sam grinned slowly. "Amazing? Not really. We don't have a choice, this is our destiny." He admitted quietly and looked at his brother. Dean nodded. "So what's your life story?" he asked smiling.

Chloe laughed lightly. "My story? Well it's not as tough as yours. But you guys might not believe me either." She said before taking a few sips of her coffee. Dean grinned at her and leaned over slightly staring into her eyes. "After doing what we do, I'll believe in anything." He said winking. Chloe blushed slightly but found herself grinning. "Okay maybe he's not so different to Jason, she thought. She felt a pang in her stomach, Jason. Dean must have felt the change too because he leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat while Sam stared at both of them, clearly amused. Chloe glanced at both of them. "My mum died when I was young so I've never really known much about her. It's always been me and dad. I've always wanted to become a journalist, it's my dream occupation. And thanks to this weird town, it's becoming a reality." She breathed out. Dean raised his eyebrows. "So you're alright with all these weird things happening." He asked. She laughed," All right with it? Hell no. But it gives me work. After the meteor shower, this town's never been normal. Every week something or someone strange turns up and gives us havoc and a good article and every week our town's hero-" she stopped suddenly and mentally scolded herself for nearly letting stuff out about Clark. It was funny how she felt calm and free with these guys, that she could tell them almost anything. She hadn't ever been able to tell Lois and _she_ was her _cousin_.

"Town's hero?" Dean asked his eyebrows rose slightly. She grinned nervously. "The town's heroes, you know firemen, police, those guys." She said smoothly. It was easy lying. Dean was still glancing at her suspiciously so she looked at Sam instead. "When did all these meteor stuff start happening?" Sam asked getting more interested in this topic. She shrugged. "This started way before I came here. I mean my friends Lana and Clark they were just babies when the meteor shower happened. And all the freaky stuff started a few years back." She downed the rest of her coffee and chucked the cup into the nearest bin. Dean smiled at her, "Nice shot." Sam rolled his eyes. "By freaky stuff you mean…….." he started. "By freaky stuff I mean people who were affected by the meteors. People who, who have some side affects, powers." She finished off. She looked at them closely. "But I don't understand why you guys would come here. I mean you guys hunt evil and kill them right? So what could you guys be hunting here?" she asked. Sam and Dean looked at her. "Well, have you ever noticed anything or anyone who gave off evil vibes? Was anyone ever evil here?" Dean asked, already realizing how stupid it sounded. Chloe thought about the time she had been possessed. "I was possessed once you know, but we got rid of her and nothing majorly evil goes on around here except perhaps the Luthors." She added.

Sam's eyebrows narrowed slightly, "The Luthors? Hey aren't they those billionaires?" he asked remembering the many times their names had come up during the research he had done about Smallville. Chloe smiled bitterly. "Yes, millionaires with the power to do whatever they want to whoever they want." Lionel planning to kill her and her dad were still strong in her head. "I don't know why but it sounds like these Luthors don't have a good reputation with snarky blonde reporters." Dean said grinning at Chloe. She looked back at him seriously. "No they don't considering Lionel Luthor tried to kill me and my dad. And I sort of resent the fact that they conduct illegal experiments in their company base." She said simply. Dean's jaw tensed, "They tried to kill you?" he said his voice slightly harsh. "Umm yeah but I got out in time." She said puzzled at his expression. Just then Lois plopped herself down at the table, "Hey Dean, hey Sam." She said smiling shyly at Sam. He smiled back at her shyly as well. Dean groaned and rolled his eyes. Sam glared at him and Chloe whacked him on his arm. "What?" Dean asked her. Lois stared at the ceiling for a minute while Sam stared at his fingers. Chloe grinned when she caught Dean's eye but didn't say anything. Dean cleared his throat for the second time in the day. "Well, what've you guys got planned for today?" he asked. Sam almost jumped out of his seat. How did Dean know? "Nothing!" he said quickly. Dean looked at his brother like he was an alien. "I was talking to Barbie and Blondie Sam." He said narrowing his eyebrows in confusion. Man maybe he should have started giving Sam pills. Sam blushed a deep red and stuttered, "Uhh, yeah…I-I was just ….you know." Lois looked at him softly and glared at Dean. "It's Lois not Barbie okay Dean." She said. Dean mocked a shocked expression, "You had me fooled." He said grinning.

"Right well as much as we'd love to sit and discuss our names, I think we should get going coz the mall closes at six." Chloe said getting up and pulling her handbag. Lois got up as well, Sam staring at her the whole time. "We'll drop you guys." Sam said suddenly. Chloe looked at him surprised, "Oh that's alright, we'll-" she started before Lois smiled at Sam and answered. "Thanks that would be good." Chloe looked at her in shock just like Dean. The boys got up, Dean still wondering what the hell was wrong with his demented brother. Sam looked at Lois, "Our car's the Chevy Impala." She nodded and led an astonished looking Chloe out of the Talon. As soon as they were out Dean rounded on his brother. "What are you doing!?" he exclaimed. Sam shrugged, "Calm down Dean we're just giving them a lift to the mall." He said casually. "Okay so one minute you're all research mode and the next you wanna do some chauffeuring?" Dean asked. Sam smirked, "What are you so worried about? Couple of cute girls in your prized car, isn't that what you always want?" he asked. Dean glared at Sam, "Well that hope vanished when you sat in the car didn't it?" Sam mocked a laugh, "Funny Dean, funny." He muttered before leaving the shop. Dean stood there for a moment wanting to get out of this before he muttered, "Barbie _is not_ driving my baby," and following Sam quickly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Nobody Knows This Secret**

_Hey ppl this is my first sn/sv fanfic so I hope you like it. I always wondered what it would have been like if Chloe and Jason had been together instead of Jason and Lana. But Im still hoping for a dean/chloe crossover episode. I don't own anything from smallville or supernatural, none of the characters, places etc. I __**wish**__ I owned the Winchester boys. Im just building a story here. Enjoy and plz plz plz review. Thanks_

**Chapter Four**

Dean stared at Sam over the mountains of 'research' as Sam put it, and tried to figure out what sort of evil spirit had possessed him. His brother was suddenly head over heels, after a girl who 1. Didn't seem his type and 2. He didn't even know that well. Dean was pretty sure that **he** was the one scoring one night stands with chicks he didn't know that well (something Sam was always frowning on). Sam looked up and was freaked out to see Dean staring at him like he was seeing him for the first time. "What?" he asked slightly annoyed. Usually, when they had been younger, Dean would look at Sam like that before pouncing on him declaring a 'wedgie war'. "Nothing." Dean answered going back to the addresses of all the victims of the weird happenings going on. He, however could never concentrate on their research for too long and found himself staring at Sam from the corner of his eyes. Exasperatedly, Sam threw down his copy of The Daily Planet and glared at his brother. "Okay Dean what is it? Is it another 'wedgie war' because if it is I don't think this is the time and place." He said looking at Dean frustratingly. Dean gave him a confused look before his face broke out in a grin when he realized what Sam was talking about. "Hey wegie wars? I almost forgot about them, they were fun." He said laughing.

Sam shook his head and said "Not when you were the one getting them." Dean smiled even wider at that. His brother looked at him again seriously and asked, "Seriously Dean what's with you? Ever since we've come back from giving the girls a lift, you've been staring at me like I've been dressed in a tutu." Dean smirked. "Aww Sam stop acting like you don't love them. Anyways, I was just trying to figure out what's wrong with you. What's going on with Lois and you?" he asked peering into his brother's face. "See you're even blushing, god Samantha." He muttered. Sam frowned at him but after a few seconds of silence he spoke. "We're going out on a date tonight." He didn't look at his brother when he said this. In fact he admired the high ceiling in their room. Dean stared at him, "You're going out on a date? With Barbie?" he asked. He didn't think a hot head like Lois would go out with his brother.

"Yeah, maybe we'll go see a movie, and then have dinner or whatever." Sam said staring at Dean's face now; trying to figure out how much he would tease him. Dean surprisingly smiled in approval. "I'd question your taste but I guess you could've done worse. Anyway maybe she'll bring out something manly in you." Dean said grinning. God, he loved teasing his brother. Sam stared at him apprehensively. No exclamations about how dumb he was, no bagging out on Lois, no need for him to sock Dean in his face? This was weird. "So you're alright with Lois?" he asked. Dean smirked slightly and nodded his head. "Barbie's not that bad, but her taste in music? Hell, AC/DC would be turning in their graves if they knew." Sam grinned. Even if they weren't bonding brothers, Dean was his older brother and in some ways even like a father for him, since most of the time he had been stuck with him. And whenever Dean was nearly killed on a job, Sam would feel his pulse quicken, because his brother was all he had left in the world and he would lose it all if he lost him too. Of course he wouldn't ever let Dean hear all this. It would give him a reason to wage a wedgie war on him again.

Chloe stared at Lois while she got ready for her date. It was like watching a teenager get ready for her prom. "Are you sure this dress doesn't look too much for the movies?" Lois asked her in attempt to pull it down more. Chloe rolled her eyes and grinned. "Lois it looks fine. You look damn sexy and if Sam has anything to complain about when he sees you then he's an ass." She said truthfully. They were at the Kent's place, in Lois's room while Mrs. Kent was away a state council meeting. Lois smiled at Chloe and pulled on a jacket before glancing at the clock nervously. "What if he gets late and when we finally get there, they don't let us in to watch the movie and we can't find a good place to have dinner?" Lois asked Chloe after a while. Chloe stared numbly at her cousin for a few minutes. "And the chances of that ever happening are?" she asked shaking her head. Lois laughed relieved, "Yeah, that'll probably never happen. Hopefully." She added quietly.

The doorbell sounded and Chloe quickly walked out into the lounge room to open the door. She found a nervous Sam, who didn't look that bad with a dark blue shirt, jeans and a coat. She could even smell a slight trace of cologne and it made her smile. Finally her cousin was going out with a guy who was a gentleman. "Hey Sam. You don't look so bad." She said stepping aside to let him in. He smiled at her, "Thanks, Dean tried to tell me otherwise, he said I looked like a baboon's ass." He muttered. "Don't worry, if anything, Dean's the one who needs to take a look in the mirror, he looks like-" "Like a handsome sex god? Why thanks Chloe, didn't know you felt that way." Dean said stepping onto the threshold. He was of course smirking in a charming way, making Chloe blush a deep red. Sam rolled his eyes and Chloe realized that everyone around Dean seemed to have to do that a lot seeing as how there were no words to express their dismay at Dean's cockiness. "I wasn't going to say that." She mumbled letting him in. "And anyways what are you doing here?" she asked closing the door. "I was making sure Samantha here didn't get scared driving here." He said sitting down on one of the couches. Sam smirked, right. Chloe ground Dean down with a hard stare. "What? I thought I'd give you company while Blondie and Sam here went out." He said innocently.

Chloe felt her throat close up, she'd heard the same sort of words come out of Jason's mouth when he'd first come over. She turned around, watching the staircase for Lois's feet and said, "I don't need company," in a cold voice. Dean glanced at his brother but saw that Sam was staring at Chloe with the same shock on his face. They'd never heard Chloe sound so cold before. Dean clenched his jaw and sat down. Just then Lois walked down the stairs and smiled at Sam and Dean but she could feel the air thick with tension. "Hey guys. Sorry I took a while." She said to Sam as he stood up to say hi. He shook his head and said, "It's alright we just got here. You look beautiful." Lois blushed, "Thanks." Chloe turned around and tried to catch Dean's eye. She was being a real bitch and she intended on making up for it. Dean wasn't Jason and she shouldn't have treated him like he was. But Dean was staring at the clock on the other wall, his jaw clenched and his eyes emotionless. Chloe felt even worse.

Sam took the keys from Dean and he and Lois made to go but Dean said quietly, "Hey wait up, you guys can drop me off at the motel." Chloe quickly strode over to where they were all standing and placed a hand on Dean's arm. He looked at her surprised. Wasn't she the one acting like an Ice Queen? What was she doing now? He saw the apology in her eyes and found himself melt under her touch and sad smile. "You can stay here and give me company. I don't feel like watching a made for tv movie again on a Saturday." She said smiling. His frown vanished immediately and he grinned. "That's exactly what I was saying. Now just let me get my stash of booze out of the car and then let's start the strip poker." He said winking. Chloe stared at him. "I'm joking." He said laughing and she smiled shaking her head. After byes and "Remember Sam, it's called a contraceptive," from Dean (Sam and Lois both blushed red, while Sam attempted to swat Dean) Chloe and Dean were sitting in the lounge room staring around the house.

"Sooo." Dean said after the awkward minutes. Chloe looked at him. "Okay, what do you wanna do apart from playing strip poker which isn't going to happen." She said after she saw the look he gave her. He groaned, "Aw, come on Chloe, stop being a party pooper. And anyways, you never know, after 3 or 4 bottles of some fine booze, you might like the sound of strip poker." He said waggling his eyebrows. She laughed and shook her head, "I don't think so." But a few bottles later, Chloe and Dean were sitting there watching Sleepless in Seattle. Dean kept showing his disapproval by sighing loudly. But Chloe loved this movie and she ignored him until he sighed so loudly she turned to him and told him to shush it. "But this movie is boring. And I don't watch chick flicks, if Sam or Lois sees me watching this they're never going to let me hear the end of it," he protested. Chloe quieted him with a soft slap on his arm and a reassurance that Sam and Lois would never find out about their choice of movie. "It's alright for you." He said. Chloe raised an eyebrow, "What?" she asked.

"It's alright for you to watch chick flicks, you're a girl." He said again. Chloe laughed and hiccupped. She'd had two whole bottles of some wine and beer and she could feel her emotions raging. "Yeah but if a girl watches too many chick flicks, guys think she's a pushover. Then they act like they own a girl." She responded in between hiccups. Dean frowned at her. "Trust me; you're far from a pushover. I don't think any guy could own you, even if he tried." Dean said softly. Chloe turned to face him and smiled sadly. "You know I used to think that. I used to think no guy could ever own me but he did. Well it felt like that. But it was in a good way, like it was our secret. Nobody knows this secret, you know, because its' a secret that's why." She said knowingly. Dean frowned slightly at this comment but smiled back at her anyway. He had a feeling he knew who she was talking about but he wanted to make sure. "Who owned you?" he asked. Her brown eyes stared into his and he could see so many emotions whirling around in them. But the feeling that stood out the most was sadness. It was like she was drowning in it and he didn't know how to help her.

"Jason. You know you look like Jason so much, it hurts to look at you when you act like him sometimes." She sighed. He bit his lip slightly. Okay maybe that explained all the weird, friends-one-minute-I-hate-you-another-minute. He gave a small smile because he couldn't help but feel like it was his fault she had to go through whatever she did with this Jason. "You guys must have been close friends for it to hurt so much after he died." He said quietly noticing there was a picture of Jason, Chloe, another raven haired girl and a guy with jet black hair on the mantelpiece. She hiccupped loudly and looked at the ceiling. She didn't feel like hiding anything from anyone anymore. It was hard acting happy and at peace with everyone when she really felt like letting the truth out and releasing all the guilt she had. And it felt like Jason was here, sitting next to her telling her to give him their past so he could take it to wherever he had gone and leave it there. Give her the peace and innocence she wanted so badly but could never have. "Maybe if he hadn't met Lana, he and I could've been more than just friends. We liked each other so much. Sometimes I thought I was in love with him, but I couldn't tell him that- he had Lana and she loved him. Maybe she loved him more than I could but what I felt was real and deep, so deep that when he died, I couldn't forget him. I don't think I have." She said taking another swig from the half full wine bottle.

Dean analysed all this in his head. So it was true, Jason and Chloe liked each other, maybe they even had a- no Chloe didn't seem the type who'd let things go further with a guy who was taken. But her feelings for him were deep, maybe even deep enough to break all boundaries. He looked at her pale face questioningly and could see the tears in her eyes. Her eyes wouldn't meet his and he felt his heart jump. He didn't want her to think he thought any less of her just because of something that happened in the past. "We had an affair." She whispered, the tears streaming down her cheeks. She glanced at him, "I didn't mean for it to ever go this way. Lana is like a sister to me, and I-I betrayed her. We kept meeting each other, and things felt so good- he knew things about me that I'd forgotten, and I knew things about him that he didn't even know. When we met it was like we were an actual couple but when we had to part I could always feel the sting of awkwardness around us. Because we both knew what we were doing was wrong and we still went along with it. I should have said no but I was weak, I wanted someone to understand me and love me and he seemed to be the only one who did."

Dean stared at her and put a hand on her shoulder, he winced when he felt her shrink back at his touch. He quickly took his hand away and spoke clearly. "Chloe, I wouldn't tell anyone if you don't want me too but I want you to know that just because the relationship you and Jason had was different, it doesn't make it weak." He was surprised to hear his mouth say the right thing for once. Chloe looked up at him and grimaced, "That's nice of you to say it but it doesn't change what it actually was, an affair. If he and Lana had been married I could have broken their home, I don't know how I can face her when she's here. It just makes me feel guiltier every day." She sobbed even harder at this and Dean closed his eyes.

This wasn't something he should have touched but it was too late now. She wanted to tell him all these things and he just wanted her to feel better. And if he could make feel better, he'd do it, even if she hit him on the head with a hammer the next morning. Dean wrapped his arms around her and too his surprise she didn't retaliate. In fact she leaned in more and sobbed on his shoulder. "He left me with a burden on my shoulders and a hole in my heart. I'm probably the worst chick you've ever met. Still here in the same house with the girl's whose boyfriend I had an affair with" She cried in a muffled voice.

He pulled her off his shoulder and looked at her face hard. "Look Chloe, I haven't known you for long but it feels like I know you. And I know enough about your personality to know that I haven't met a stronger or more beautiful person than you. Don't think that because I flirt around, I can't tell the difference between a person with a heart of gold and a person with an empty heart." He said in a stern voice. Chloe searched his eyes with hers for any hint of disgust or judgment. She would never have imagined she'd be able to tell anyone about her affair without her leaving their place feeling more disgusted with herself. And here she was telling Dean (the guy with the exact same face as Jason) about everything and he was comforting her. "Why are you being so nice?" she asked him. He smiled at her slowly, "Everyone makes mistakes Chloe, and nobody has the right to look down at you because of it. As far as I'm concerned you're the most caring girl I know and I want to make you happy. I think friends are entitled to that at least." He joked smiling at her. He wiped her tears with his fingers and their eyes connected for a minute. She could see an understanding there, a hope, a friendship and – and something else but she couldn't identify it. A feeling she didn't know about in Dean Winchester. And Dean could tell that if she'd let him, he could make her very happy. He'd make sure that she'd always be smiling.

She cleared her eyes and looked at him carefully. "So you're not mad at me at all? Don't you think I'm a home wrecker?" she asked timidly. He looked at her carefully, "Chloe the destiny I follow makes me do thing no humane person would do, but I have done things that other people would look down on. My history's not so good and I don't expect anyone to think I'd judge them when I know how it hurts when someone does. Especially someone you consider your friend." He admitted. Chloe didn't question his comment, she knew he had skeletons in his closet he probably didn't to talk about but she was still confused about what to do when Lana came back. She had planned on telling Lana everything once she and Clark got back but now she felt like hiding behind her new friend and never letting anyone hear her story again. "You're freaking about what'll happen when Lana comes back and you want to tell her these things, right?" he asked when he saw her face pale slightly more. She nodded. "How do you tell someone, that you used their love and made him yours when they were thinking of spending their life with him? How do you tell them that when they were laying their trust on you, you were casting it aside because you wanted the person they loved the most? How can I expect her to believe me when I say that I'm sorry? She's gonna hate me for the rest of our life and I can't spend the rest of my life with her hating me." She whispered softly.

He took her hand gently and said carefully, "Some confessions can make relationships stronger. But some can break them, so you have to be careful when you want to tell someone the truth. Think about what Lana's been through and what she's going trough now. Maybe she's really happy right now, and you wouldn't want to break the happiness she has. Because sometimes it's the lies which help a person start a new life and the truth which helps wreck it. Things have been bad for both you and you deserve a new beginning. But that's just me blabbing, Sam's the one with good advice on these things. I'm good at the practical side of things." He smiled at her trying to shake off the motions on his voice.

He usually never talked about emotional stuff, which was Sam's specialty. He and Sam had been brought up differently, reflected, sure they had both been brought up as soldiers but he was never the sort of guy to let out how he was feeling. Maybe it had come from spending most of his life with his dad; maybe if their mum had been with them, he would have been able to show people how he felt. Even when their parents had died, when so many emotions were raging in his body he hadn't shown what he really felt to Sam, in fact he took out his anger and frustration on his brother.

But that had been the extent of how much he could display his emotions. Now, sitting there with Chloe, he felt like going on and on about emotions and feelings. With her he could spend ages telling her about his life, about what he was scared of losing and what he wished his life was like but he didn't know her well enough, right? Something told him that he did, otherwise why would she have told him everything about Jason and her?


	5. Chapter 5

- 8 -

**Nobody Knows This Secret**

_Hey ppl this is my first sn/sv fanfic so I hope you like it. I always wondered what it would have been like if Chloe and Jason had been together instead of Jason and Lana. But Im still hoping for a dean/chloe crossover episode. I don't own anything from smallville or supernatural, none of the characters, places etc. I __**wish**__ I owned the Winchester boys. Im just building a story here. Enjoy and plz plz plz review. Thanks_

**Chapter Five**

Dean opened his eyes slowly, he could hear a pounding noise in his ears and for a second he forgot where he was. Then he felt Chloe, fast asleep on his shoulder and he let out a deep breath of relief. He hadn't wanted to wake up to an angry Chloe screaming at him for taking advantage of her or whatever. Not that he had, he and she were both fully clothed, but she still might jump to conclusions about what they had spent the night doing. He realized with slight confusion that the pounding in his ears was still there and it took him three more seconds to realize it was coming from the front door. He eased himself away from Chloe quietly, watching her frown in her sleep as she slid down onto the sofa and he strode over to the door.

He opened it to find Sam with an arm raised to knock the door again and a worried looking Lois standing next to him. They both looked at Dean with relief. "What took you so long?" his brother asked walking in. Dean rolled his eyes while he shut the door and turned to his brother, "I fell asleep. So did Chloe." Lois quickly looked around, missing Chloe's slumped figure on the sofa.

"You two were asleep?" she asked narrowing her eyes slightly. Sam looked at his brother questioningly, and Dean scowled at him. God, even Sam thought Dean was low enough to take advantage of a girl through a time of distress. "Yeah we were watching a movie and then we started talking and she fell asleep. I stayed awake for awhile and then I fell asleep as well, she's right there on the sofa." He answered finding his jacket on the coat stand near the door. Lois grinned at her cousin's form lying on the sofa and almost snorted with laughter when she glanced at the TV screen, "You guys were watching Sleepless in Seattle?" she asked an annoyed Dean.

Dean groaned while Sam's face broke out in a grin, so much for Dean's 'chick flicks are for girls and pansies like you Sammy'. He momentarily stopped grinning when he saw Dean's glare. "She wanted to watch it not me, I wanted to watch Rambo." Dean grumbled. He looked at the two and smiled himself, "So what did you guys do?" he asked innocently. Sam scoffed, "Why should I tell you?" Dean smiled more, "Aw, so Sammy here finally got some action. Nice going Barbie you melted my brother's heart." He smirked.

He was surprised to see them both turn red and Sam move to whack him- well he wasn't surprised to feel his brother's arm smash into his. Sammy's moving fast for someone who's so shy all the time, he thought to himself amusingly. He glanced up at the clock and whistled lowly. "Sam I reckon you should kiss your girlfriend goodbye while I start the Impala, I wanna get some sleep without Meg Ryan's voice echoing in my head." He smiled at Lois, "Bye Lois, hope my brother didn't kill your night with his soppy choice in movies," as he stepped out onto the porch. She let out a sigh and asked Sam, "Doesn't he ever stop?" Sam grinned "Only when he's asleep." She smiled at him and felt herself get lost in his eyes again, just the way she had while they had been having dinner. She smiled shyly and said softly so that Dean couldn't hear, "You're one of the sweetest guys I've met Sam, and this was probably the best date I've been on. I really like you." She looked down slightly, leaning towards his body. He smiled at her in that way that made her feel slightly weak and whispered in her ear,

"I really like you too Lois, I couldn't take my eyes off you the first time I saw you and I still can't" – she blushed at this, "And I was kind of hoping that we could go out again tomorrow or something, if you want." He peered into her soft eyes again and he smiled hopelessly when she smiled back at him and nodded. "Sure, call me Sam. Goodnight." She whispered back before meeting his lips with hers. He kissed her back and would have stayed on like that if they didn't have Dean calling out, "Aw, come on guys, I didn't mean it literally and I gave you four hours to do that." Sam stepped back, breaking the kiss and grinned apologetically at Lois, who was biting her bottom lip slightly. She smiled back and said to Dean, "Shut up Dean, and goodnight." With that she smiled again at Sam and closed the door.

Sam smiled to himself and got into the Impala aware of Dean staring at him expectantly. Without turning to face him he said, "Just drive the car Dean." Dean started the ignition, stared at his brother one last time and burst out laughing. He was still laughing when they reached the motel and Sam was still smiling himself. They walked up to their room and Dean slapped his brother on the back. "Sammy, Sammy, Sammy. What's that chick doing to you?" Sam looked at him slightly dazed and admitted, "I don't know Dean."

Dean recognized this weird state and snapped Sam out of his daze with a click of his fingers while saying "Okay stop it lover boy, you're meeting her tomorrow; you can drool all over her then." He said smirking. Sam shook his head slightly and asked Dean, "What did you guys do?" "We got drunk and played strip poker, while watching Sleepless in Seattle and then had a passionate one night stand," was Dean's answer. He got up from untying his shoes and saw Sam's face frown as if he was trying to figure out if Dean was telling the truth or lying. He threw up his hands in exasperation; did his brother really think he'd do that? Dean was wild but not that wild.

"I'm kidding; you know when you use exaggeration and sarcasm to humour someone? Yeah that's called kidding Sammy." Sam nodded his head agitatedly and said, "I know what kidding means Dean. What did you guys really do?" he asked. There had been moments during the night when he and Lois tried to figure out what Chloe would do if Dean made fun of her secret fluffy slipper collection but decided it might be too gory to imagine, especially, Lois pointed out, if Chloe hadn't drunk at least two cups of strong coffee and was wearing stilettos at the time. "We watched some of that movie and we talked." Dean said quickly turning to the bed. Sam raised his eyebrows, "Talked about?" he asked. Dean pulled off his shirt and tugged at his singlet. "About stuff." He said shortly.

Sam stared as his brother disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes and reappeared looking deep in thought. He didn't notice Sam was still staring at him until he flopped onto his bed and looked up to ask Sam to turn the lights off. "What?" he asked getting agitated by his brother's prying stare. "Well, what did you talk about? Because whatever it was it must have been something really good to make her fall asleep in your arms when a few days ago she was freaked by the sight of you." He said finally. Dean got up and switched the lights off himself. "Just leave it Sam, what we talked about, I'm not going to tell anyone about because she's not ready for it." Dean muttered turning in his bed to face the wall. He heard Sam sigh and mumble something before he heard him shut the bathroom door and the sounds of running water.

He still hadn't gone to sleep when Sam returned from the bathroom and he could hear his bed creak with his weight. Tonight he had met a scared and trapped Chloe when he had talked to her. He knew that what she'd told him that night probably wouldn't be in Chloe's memory the next morning and that if it was she'd want him to forget about it, but he couldn't do that. There were a few women who stayed on his mind and who made a place in his heart and it felt like she was starting to make one.

He wouldn't be able to forget her tears, her sad eyes and her painful breaths even if she begged him too. He just wished he knew a way to give her all the peace and love she needed without pushing her. He spoke in a sleepy voice, since it seemed questions made him feel exhaustion, "Sam, do you know how to fix someone who's broken?" He was pretty sure his brother was staring at the back of his head but he was too tired to turn around. 

His brother's voice came out distant and faraway but he still heard it. "Only if you can take them forward and out of the past. Only if you can make them forget about the mistakes they've made and love them anyways." His brother replied. Sam's mind momentarily lingered past the memory of Madison. He knew what it was like trying to help someone you cared so much about only to have them slip through your fingers because of a mistake that wasn't even their fault. He asked Dean's back, "Is this about Chloe?" but no one answered. Sam yawned, his brother was probably already asleep, typical Dean, he thought before drifting off himself.

Lois smiled softly at Chloe's sleeping figure and shook her lightly. "Hey, Chloe? Chloe you're sleeping on the couch. Chloe?" she asked a thoroughly drunk looking Chloe. At least Dean's 'stash' didn't go wasted, Lois thought half amused and half concerned with Chloe's state of mind. She didn't know how to classify what sort of drunk Chloe was when she ended up drinking too much, which was rarely. Sometimes she'd be really happy and flirtatious, sometimes she'd get angry and let it out on whoever she was pissed at and sometimes she was sad and pained. Lois hated the last one, she knew that the sad drunken Chloe was always the one that let out painful memories, ones that she usually kept hidden in her until someone pried them out of her.

She could already see Chloe was sad the moment she lifted her eyes open. Chloe mumbled something Lois didn't hear. "What did you say?" she asked lifting her cousin up to a sitting position. "He left a hole in my heart and a burden on my shoulders, but I'm going to tell her, Dean, just not now, after I know you're there with me." Chloe whispered before falling back onto the sofa asleep. Lois frowned, she was probably talking about Jason……she and Dean must have talked about him. Lois sighed inwardly but thanked Dean in her head. He was a complete jackass most of the time but if there was anyone who could bring Chloe back from the secret she held in her, the one that had eaten her conscience up somehow, it was him. She looked up at the clock and was surprised to see it was already one in the morning; she must have been out with Sam for a long time. She grinned remembering their evening and headed up to her room.

Chloe opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling with a hammering feeling in her head. She groaned and put a hand on her head. She hadn't had a hangover like this since her twisted prom night. She had managed to get helplessly drunk on two bottle of vodka and 2 bottles of beer. But that was ages ago; she didn't see why her head was hurting now. Then she heard Dean's voice, "That's exactly what I was saying. Now just let me get my stash of booze out of the car and then let's start the strip poker," resounding in her head and she sat up quickly, wincing when her head thumped painfully. Her eyes looked down at her body and she sighed in relief, good they hadn't gotten up to playing strip poker. She looked around her and remembered that she had fallen asleep on the couch, in Dean's arms and faintly remembered Mrs. Kent leading her up to her room after.

She gasped when she remembered what they had talked about. She had told him? The secret she'd been keeping all these years was finally out. And the person who had found out was DEAN, someone who looked exactly like JASON!!! Chloe dropped her face into her hands and racked her brain for anything else she might have said. She groaned when she realized she'd probably told him everything about Jason and her, her fears about Lana coming back and hating her for the rest of their lives and she had even resolved to tell Lana about her secret. She tried to think more but her brain hurt and she fell back in bed hopelessly wondering when her life would stop throwing al these stupid obstacles in it. Was it too much to ask to have a normal life? She wondered miserably.

Someone knocked on her door and she said in a muffled voice (thanks to the warm comforter around her face) "Stop knocking and come in." She tried smiling at Lois when she came in but sighed and rubbed her forehead instead. Lois looked at her, wondering whether to laugh or rush to her aid. "Do you have a hangover?" she asked, trying not to smile. Chloe's death glare stopped her from laughing. "No, I'm just wrapping myself up in my bed to see what it like is to be an abominable snowman." She muttered sarcastically. Lois grinned and Chloe groaned in frustration, "Lois I need a packet of aspirin! God, what sort of alcohol was that. Why did I even drink?" she mumbled rubbing her face.

Lois laughed and patted Chloe on the back, while she reached down to ruffle through the bed side drawer where an aspirin was always kept. She gave the packet to Chloe who quickly pulled out two and popped them in her mouth, followed by a quick drink from her glass of water she kept next to her on the bedside table. She looked at Lois and asked wearily, "So tell me the extent of my damage?" Lois grinned back at her and said, "Don't worry; you didn't do anything embarrassing in front of **us**. We came back pretty late and when we did you and Dean were both sleeping." Chloe's eyes went wide. "We were sleeping?" Lois shook her head. Chloe didn't understand why she was smiling so much. This could end up in a funeral for Mr. Winchester, it wasn't that funny. "No you fell asleep next to him without any sexual arrangement, well that's as far as I know. Dean left with Sam just after we came back from our date." Lois explained.

Chloe smiled slightly, she hadn't really expected Dean to actually take advantage of her, because even though he was insensitive sometimes, he was a guy with a really good heart. Her smile slipped slightly when a voice in her head asked her if **he** would still think she was a crazy but good hearted girl after yesterday's confession. Probably not, she thought back but if that was true then she'd stay clear from him until he and his brother left. She turned her attention back on Lois who was staring at her expectantly. "How was your date?" she asked smiling. Lois grinned and said, "It was great. We went and had dinner at this really nice restaurant and then we went and saw a movie. We were going to come back earlier but I thought he might wanna see Smallville at night so I took him up to Broker's Hill. You know how you can see the city at night from there?" she continued when Chloe nodded, "Yeah well we watched the lights and the stars and we talked for a while and then we came back."

Chloe had never seen her cousin look so happy about a guy and grinned mischievously. "So, is that all you did?" she asked bumping Lois. Lois blushed red and smiled shyly, "Yes that's all we did, now I'm going to meet him again today after my shift at the Talon and you can stay here and get over your hangover." she said getting up quickly. Chloe chuckled and said bye to Lois before laying down back in bed. As she lay there in the streaming warmth of the sunlight with her head hurting, she wondered why Dean was trying to save her from being trapped in guilt and pain when she deserved what she was getting.

What she was going through was nothing compared to what Lana would go through when she found out about Jason and her. She'd probably never speak to Chloe ever again and she'd probably hate Chloe for the rest of her life. But what Dean said made her think for a second that she could keep them both happy, that some secrets made relationships and some broke them, sometimes even broke a person. But she knew if she kept the secret in her and didn't tell Lana she'd go insane with the guilt. Because she wouldn't be happy even if she managed to keep Lana happy by not telling her. She didn't know how it happened but she counted Dean as her friend now, maybe even one of her closest friends. It was weird; letting a guy in when he was someone she was trying to run from. Her head was warning her to stay away but her heart was begging to let someone in to fix her scars. And right now she was listening to her heart.

Dean parked the Impala in Chloe's driveway before getting out and looking up at the double storey's window. Okay so maybe this was useless, seeing as how he didn't know where Chloe's bedroom was anyway but he felt like someone had been watching him just a minute before. He took a deep breath and walked up to her door, knocking it and waiting patiently. After a few more minutes and still no answer he knocked again, this time worrying slightly. He could hear voices, probably from a radio but no one was answering the door. His jaw tensed when he heard a muffled sound and something crashing. His eyes narrowed. Was something attacking Chloe? He wasn't taking any chances. He didn't want to get there late and find something he couldn't fix.

He walked to the side of the house and found a water pipe leading up to the roof, which was pretty close to a window. The window was open but the drawn curtains hid any view of the room. Dean carefully but quickly climbed the water pipe listening intently for any noises. If the yellow eyed demon had found Chloe then he was going to kill it right then and there. There would be no time for it to scream, that's how badly he was going to wring that fucking demon's neck. He pulled a leg over onto the window sill and with a grunt hoisted his other foot onto it too. He quickly let go of his hands and gripped the sill making sure he was balanced.

Dean could hear the radio clearly now but apart from that there weren't any noises. He slipped into the room and peered around silently preying that Chloe hadn't been ambushed by the demon. This was definitely Chloe's room that was something he was sure about. The walls were a light pink, the floor carpeted white, photos of family members and friends covered the dressing table and articles and posters covered any other area. A door lead off somewhere on the side of the room and another open door lead out into the second storey's landing. Dean considered walking out to the lounge room and checking everything there but decided he should check the room thoroughly first.

As he made his way to the door on the side of the room he held his breath. He was sure he could hear soft pit patting sounds and his imagination lead him to places he didn't want to go. That could be the blood dripping from Chloe's dead body; he thought his throat turning dry. And for some reason, even when he tried not to think of it, he could see in his mind a similar sight as the one Sam had experienced when he had found his girlfriend Jessica on the ceiling of his room. He closed his eyes and turned the door knob slowly praying to god that he was wrong. He opened the door and his eyes snapped open.

**Okay people I know I'm updating really slowly and my story's inching along but there's so much going on at school that iv got to get done and its minimising my time on the computer. I know Lois has a job at the Daily Planet and all but let's pretend she's helping out Lana who's away for now and I honestly can't remember what Chloe's room looks like in Smallville so let's just pretend she had a room makeover in between the episodes, okay? Lol. Well, I hope you guys like the story so far and thanks all you guys who reviewed. I really need it. Any constructive critisism is greatly appreciated. Thanks.**


	6. Chapter 6

- 15 -

**Nobody Knows This Secret**

_Hey ppl this is my first sn/sv fanfic so I hope you like it. I always wondered what it would have been like if Chloe and Jason had been together instead of Jason and Lana. But Im still hoping for a dean/chloe crossover episode. I don't own anything from smallville or supernatural, none of the characters, places etc. I __**wish**__ I owned the Winchester boys. Im just building a story here. Enjoy and plz plz plz review. Thanks_

**Chapter Six**

When Dean opened his eyes he shut them again instantly. Oh. God I'm so screwed….he thought to himself as he heard Chloe shriek. The high sound made him open his eyes again and he almost had the wind knocked out of him when he felt Chloe push him out of the door and scream, "Don't you dare open your eyes Dean Winchester or I swear to god you won't have anything left of them when I'm done with you!!" The door slammed shut with a tremendous force and Dean backed out of her bedroom and into the landing. He walked down to the lounge room hurriedly and sat down on the sofa. Okay so maybe the demon hadn't attacked her while she had been sitting at home, my bad, Dean thought regretfully.

But he had to admit (wickedly), a naked Chloe looked pretty good, even when she was screaming at him to get out. Dean almost smiled at this and thought about what Sam would say. Of course he'd be disgusted and would be telling Dean off for invading her privacy, but Sam wasn't there to tell him off and he was going to be told off by a very angry Chloe anyway. He was freaked out.

Chloe fumed silently as she pulled on her towel bath robe and slammed the bathroom drawer shut. She was going to painfully kill Dean for barging in on her like that. She thudded downstairs to find an anxious looking Dean sitting on the sofa glancing at the staircase. When he saw her he got up and almost grinned but when he saw her fuming expression he quickly stopped. She glared at him and almost yelled, "What the hell were you doing barging in my bathroom while I was having a shower??!!!" He shrunk back a bit, "Yeah about that Chloe, I'm really sorry; I thought you were being attacked. I didn't know you were having a shower." He said truthfully and grinned hoping to make it lighter.

She glared back at him her eyes a deep green. He smiled at her eyes; they were a world he had just ventured into. "I can't believe this, you're smiling? What the hell is so funny about invading a girl's privacy?!" she said loudly. He grimaced, man she was mad. "And what exactly was I supposedly being attacked by while I had my shower?" she added. He shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably at the mention of the Yellow Eyed Demon. "By the demon Sam and I've been hunting." He said quickly.

Chloe looked at him in surprise and asked him "And why would the demon attack me while I'm having a shower?" her face in slight confusion. He jerked his head away and said shortly "Look, usually when Sam and I venture towards closed doors in empty houses, we find that the dripping noise is often someone's blood dripping out of their lifeless body. These things end up sticking in your head, and then anything that sounds or looks familiar reminds you about it. That's what was going through my head." He admitted quietly. Chloe looked at his lost and sad expression. She was partly amazed at what he had told her about this job of his and it made her wonder what his life was like, what it had always been like? He looked like the type of guy who'd been raised as a soldier and she wondered if he'd ever had a normal childhood.

But that didn't change the fact that he'd seen her naked without authorisation. Not that she would have given him permission to see her naked, yet. She shut her eyes, okay where had that come from? She thought squeamishly. She opened them and glared at Dean (who had his usual cocky gin on his face) again. "You are to FORGET that you EVER saw me naked in the shower. Wipe this out of your memory Dean. Okay?" she asked narrowing her eyes hoping that she looked very angry and mean.

His grin grew into a smile and he winked, "I don't know, see, the image of a naked lathering Chloe exterminating from my memory is hard-" he started but Chloe yelled out, "Dean," with a warning look on her face. He laughed quietly and she couldn't help but letting a corner of her mouth lift up. He saw this and her blushing cheeks and winked again, "You know you should try out for the Playboy magazine." He said. Chloe rolled her eyes, "Whatever Dean. You keep wishing that." She muttered as she opened the door. He saw this and frowned, "You're not kicking me out already are you?" he said putting on a hurt look on his face. She attempted to look sorry and said "Yeah I am, sorry."

Dean looked at her seriously for a while and Chloe shrugged her shoulders in a 'what?' way. He opened his mouth and shut them again. Then he asked quietly, "Hey would you mind taking me up to um, Jason's grave? I wanted to pay my respects to him." He saw her face tense at Jason's name. "Only if you're alright with it." He said quickly. He hadn't even told his brother he wanted to go see Jason's grave. It wasn't like him to be paying his respects to dead strangers but since this guy had had his face he was an exception. In a way it was like he wanted to make sure the guy was dead, like he needed proof.

Chloe swallowed but nodded, "Yeah, we can go up there if you want, maybe tomorrow afternoon?" She asked quietly. He looked at her carefully and nodded, "Yeah that'd be great. So it's a date at the graveyard with someone just as handsome as Jason." he said grinning to make things lighter, but when he heard his words he felt like kicking himself, he was joking about going on a date to the cemetery to visit a guy who looked just like him with the guy's ex-lover, who by the way was still beating herself up over their affair. Yup, he was smooth with his words he thought sarcastically. Chloe's eyes flashed with anger. Did he have to make her feel worse about this than she already did? Suddenly she knew she had made a mistake when she had told him everything about Jason and her, now he was going to blackmail her against it. But he seemed to regret his words instantly because he shook his head and said "I'm really sorry Chloe, I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I'm really, really sorry." He said moving forward awkwardly. She stepped back and said in a thin voice, "its fine. I'll see you tomorrow, bye" before he moved back out of the doorway and she closed the door. He sighed tiredly and ran his hand through his hair.

No matter how much he tried to make her stay happy, she wouldn't because she couldn't let go of what had happened. She was still guilty and filled with angst over what would happen to Lana when she found out. Dean clenched his jaw slightly and walked out to his car, looking back at her window and glimpsing the curtains move back into their place. He was starting to think he liked her more than he should. Sure he'd been with many girls, but nothing drew him in like she did. No one instilled so much worry and affection in him the way she did. The extremes he had gone to today was something he wouldn't ordinarily do (contrary to what Chloe had momentarily thought) but the thought of her being harmed made his blood boil. She was someone he was proud of, scared for and interested too much in. And by the looks of it he'd just broken the trust she had tied with him thanks to his stupid mouth. But he'd apologize and make things better tomorrow. She deserved to be happy and lead her life the way she wanted to.

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Chloe got up the next morning feeling much better but slightly wary. She kept thinking and rethinking about whether she should cancel her afternoon visit to Jason's grave with Dean. There was no point telling herself that it would be fine, because anything to do with Jason these days wasn't but she wanted to show that Dean that she was over Jason and the past. He couldn't blackmail her or look down at her because she had left Jason the day he had left her and everyone else who loved him. She met Lois downstairs who was making pancakes. Chloe stared at her for a while.

"Okay what's wrong with you? Are you pregnant?" she asked in disbelief. Lois who had greeted her with a cheery good morning, rolled her eyes, "Excuse me?" she said half annoyed and still half happy. Why did everyone think it weird if she cooked? Just because she didn't it didn't mean she was incapable of making her cousin breakfast. Chloe smiled. "Well it's just a bit weird. But hey if I'm getting some edible breakfast I'm fine. "Are you meeting Sam today?" Chloe asked expectantly. Lois smiled and nodded. Chloe grinned, no wonder. "So where are you off to? Don't you have 2 weeks off work?" Lois asked sliding her a plate of pancakes. Chloe nodded, "Yeah but I'm going to the cemetery with Dean. He wants to visit Jason." She said looking at Lois.

Lois nodded and gave her a reassuring smile, "Does he know about whatever it is you're hiding in you about Jason?" she asked gently. Chloe filled up a cup of coffee and nodded, "Yeah I told him accidentally, the night I got drunk. I don't know what I'm going to do if he blackmails me against it or whatever……." Chloe trailed off staring at her plate. Lois watched her face carefully, She wanted to know what had happened but Dean struck her as the sort of person who kept his promise, even Sam had pointed it out once during their date. "Dean wouldn't do that Chloe, he really cares about you, you can see it in his eyes, Sam says that he's pretty obsessed about you and that he doesn't even put his head into their work these days, not that he told me what they do for work. But I'm pretty sure he'd keep whatever secret you told him tight in his heart. He won't tell."

Chloe looked back at her cousin slightly taken aback with all the proof that Lois had gathered up claiming Dean actually had feelings for her but she didn't want to acknowledge this right now, "Sam hasn't told you what they do for work?" she asked slightly surprised. You'd think Sam would tell Lois by now, since he seemed to be in love with her.

Lois looked at her slightly glumly, "No, it's so weird, I really like him Chloe, I don't know maybe even love him but you can't give your heart to someone who you don't know basic things about. Whenever I try to talk to him about his childhood, or his job or his past, he just changes the topic. I told him pretty much everything about me because I want our relationship to be free of all this secrecy. It makes me feel like he doesn't trust me with whatever it is he's keeping. And I thought that all this time we were getting closer you know?" Chloe bit her lip slightly and nodded sympathetically. What Lois was saying was right but she could understand why Sam wasn't telling her everything. It probably wasn't easy telling your new girlfriend that you hunted evil spirits as a job and had a pretty dark and tough childhood but he should have told her. Lois would understand.

"Hey don't worry about things like that, sometimes people keep secrets for a good reason, sometimes to keep their loved ones safe and Sam is a guy you don't come across that often, he loves you." Chloe told Lois assuring. She thought about her own secret, which was to keep her loved ones safe, right? Lois smiled hopefully, "You think so? I'm surprised he hasn't run off in the opposite direction yet. But I don't want to pressure him into telling me anything he doesn't want to. I don't want him to run off because I'm too pushy." She admitted fearfully.

Chloe reached over and rubbed her hand lightly. "Hey, don't worry okay? He's not running off anywhere without you. You guys are perfect together and don't let your trust drop just because he wont tell you what he does for a living." She concluded confidently. Giving others a moral boost worked fine for her, it was her own self she got stuck with. After saying bye to Lois and sliding the rest of her slightly burnt pancakes into the bin quietly (Lois wasn't that good at cooking breakfast), she made her way to her red bug.

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Dean stared at the clock on the motel wall and sighed, he didn't know if he was supposed to pick Chloe up or if he was supposed to wait for her at the cemetery or if he was just supposed to wait for her at the motel. After the way she had closed the door on his face yesterday, he wasn't so sure about calling her up to ask for details. Sam had been on the net surfing for anything supernatural in Smallville for most of the morning. They were yet to find anything dangerously evil apart from the infamous Luthors, in fact apart from weird meteor affected people showing up, there wasn't anything surfacing up to scare this small town.

Dean stared at his brother for a while distracting himself from thoughts about Chloe, Sam seemed really adamant to find something this town needed rescuing from. Dean had tried to suggest that maybe they should get back on the road to find another place, but Sam had insisted there was something in this town. Dean had been tempted in asking if that something was Lois Lane but decided not to give Sam anything else to lecture him about since this whole Chloe fiasco; which he had made the mistake in telling him about. Sam looked up from his research.

"What? Aren't you supposed to be meeting Chloe for your visit to Jason Teague's grave?" he asked. Dean shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah but I don't know when she's coming or if I'm supposed to go or what." He said. Sam nodded, "So you're just gonna sit here and wait till she comes to you?" he asked. Dean gave a half nod, "Yeah I guess." He muttered. Sam sighed, "Dean you're only gonna make things worse if you don't go and pick her up. She's gonna think you don't want to do this, that you were making fun of her." His younger sibling explained patiently. Dean huffed as he got up, "Fine, but she's probably gonna slam the door in my face again." He said picking up his jacket and his keys. Sam shook her head, "Not if you let her know you're sorry." He said gently. Dean grinned at him, "Yeah, I guess you're right. You know for a pansy boy, you give pretty good advice, Sammy." He said before opening the door. "Thanks Dean." Sam muttered as Dean stepped outside.

He had made it to the car park and was about to open the Impala's front door when he saw Chloe's red bug drive in. He locked the door and strode over to where she was parking, her face filled with determination and detachment towards him. Dean sighed loudly and prayed to god that he'd be able to make her smile again today. She got out of her car and gave him a small smile. "Hi." She said quickly. He grinned back at her like an idiot and she found Lois's voice ringing in her head. "He really cares about you; you can see it in his eyes." She frowned slightly, and shoved her hands into her pocket.

Dean stared at her some more before realizing how weird they looked standing at a slight distance not saying anything. "Okay, this is awkward, Do you wanna go anytime soon?" he asked. She nodded, "Let's go in my car." She said simply before turning around and opening her door. Dean had been planning on taking the Impala but decided that he should do as she wanted today. "Yeah, okay that sounds like fun, I've always wanted to know what it feels like to sit in a red bug with a pretty blonde." He said easing into the passenger seat. He felt squashed slightly but he grinned again at Chloe. Even she couldn't help herself from asking back in fake interest, "Really?" He laughed, "No, not really." He mumbled. He took a loving glance at his baby Impala and Chloe started the ignition, the look not unnoticed by her. You could tell he loved his car.

When they reached the cemetery, Dean shot out quickly. He didn't know what was worse, the silent trip or the radio host talking about how there was at least one person in the world who looked exactly like you. Chloe had pursed her lips slightly when the topic had come up and switched the radio off. Now she came walking up beside him and led him up a path into the cemetery.

They passed many rows until she came to a simple grave stone which read, "Here lies the blessed, Jason Teague, beloved son, friend and partner, may his soul rest in blissful peace." She sat down on a nearby bench and watched while Dean knelt down and stared at the grave of someone who he hadn't known but knew about his secret. He had bought a single tulip and he placed that on Jason's grave. He stood there thinking about whether Jason had loved Chloe as much as she loved him. Had he wanted to give her all his love? Did he realize how much pain she went through every time he left her? He hoped to god that he had because if it was him Dean would have treasured her every day. Anger boiled through him when he realized that all the good people he'd come across had died or been punished for things that weren't even their fault.

Chloe was surprised at Dean's gentle gesture. She hadn't thought he'd do anything like placing flowers on Jason's grave. In fact she hadn't known what to expect. After a few more moments Chloe was slightly alarmed at how still he was standing. She got up and slowly placed a hand on his arm. "Are you alright Dean?" she asked forgetting to sound cold and angry. He turned to her and his shoulders were slumped. "Jason was probably a great guy, right?" he asked smiling sadly.

She nodded numbly trying to remember if she'd ever seen Dean Winchester sad. He laughed bitterly, "You know I never got why good people always end up being treated badly….Why they're always the first ones to get hurt……the first ones to die. It isn't fair. And you're always hearing about how if you're good to other people, you have a good life but I reckon that's all bullshit. My mom was good, sometimes I reckon she was an angel, but all she got for it was being killed pinned up on a ceiling by the fucking demon she was trying to protect us from. The same with our dad, I mean he was no angel but he was a good guy. He tried to save other people who he didn't even know. Me and Sam, we're trying to do the right thing but people think we're the bad guys. I'm the one with a wanted poster to my name and Sam's got a dead girlfriend who didn't even have anything to do with the demon. And you……" he trailed off.

Chloe's eyes turned moist, "I'm not dead Dean." She pointed out stupidly. A shadow flitted through his face. "Sometimes it feels like you are. You don't need to be a genius to figure out that when Jason died a big part of you died to. He left you all the guilt and sorrow but you don't need to deal with all of that." He said gently looking into her eyes with the care Lois had been talking about. She looked away. "I can't be happy when I wrecked someone's relationship. I can't be happy when the guy who I loved and who didn't love me back died. I can't love someone who looks just like he did. It feels like I'm cheating you both and I hate cheating. I hate myself for ever going that way." She answered her eyes filling with tears.

Dean turned her face to him and held her arm even when she tried to tear it free. "I don't care if you don't love me; I just want to see you smiling Chloe. You don't deserve to die for a lie someone else fed you. Your eyes could light up anyone's life but they're so dim right now, they're so dark it's hard to see any emotion in them apart from sadness. The past few days I've spent with you, it feels like I've made you happy, made you laugh even. And now you're pushing me away."

Chloe looked at him angrily. "What makes you think you could make me laugh, make me smile and forget about Jason? Just because you look like him it doesn't mean you are him. Because you are not Jason Dean, you just aren't. And you don't have to act like a hero either. I'm not someone to save Dean. I have a life and I'm leading it, no matter how hard, how guilt filled it is. I don't need you to come and save me from the inevitable. You don't know what I feel every day when I see Lana's face…..sometimes in my dreams she's asked me why I had to stab her in the back. Why couldn't I just have been happy for her? And I woke up crying praying that I'll forget what he looks like. But then you came and made things even harder Dean. You should have kept your distance, forgotten about me and Jason the moment you found out. It had nothing to do with you but now you're in the middle of it." Her tears were streaming down her face now but she couldn't care less.

"Well too bad because now I've got a lot to do with it now. You've got to give me a chance, Chloe. I'm not Jason, you're right about that, I'm not the sort of person who'd leave you heart broken. I want to make you smile and laugh without crying inside……just let me in." he whispered pulling her closer. She looked into his light green eyes and closed hers, images of a happy future with Dean flashing through her mind. But then images of an angry looking Lana and a dead Jason came back to her and she pulled away from Dean.

He looked at her with a sinking feeling in his stomach but didn't try to pull her back. Her voice came out cold and hostile when she said in a deadly whisper, "Just leave me alone Dean….You can't give me happiness when you're the reason I hate myself." She stared at him icily and he let his hand fall to his side. Hurt and sadness seeping through his body like venom. "You can't deny that you felt what I did too." He said throatily.

She turned away from him and wiped her tears silently. "I felt nothing Dean, if I ever felt anything it was for someone else and when he died my feelings died with him. You are the reason I can't live with myself, you just brought back more ugly scars. And now I'm sick of seeing you, of you haunting me." Her words reached his ears and it felt like they were shards of glass piercing his skin.

He stared at her straight and uptight figure and found he couldn't bear to open his mouth. Finally after a while he steadied himself and his jaw tensed shut, a nerve twitching and his eyes steeling over. He had wanted to give her all the happiness he could, he had just wanted to make her smile, to make her life easier and now he understood why it wasn't working. Because he was everything that made her depressed. He gulped quietly realizing what she must have felt loving Jason, someone who could never be hers. He could feel the rejection and nothing else. Dean could finally admit that he loved her but she didn't love him, she didn't even want to see his face because his face was the reason for all her pain.

Dean took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice, "Chloe, I love you. You- You don't love me or even like me but I don't care, the way I feel about you, I haven't felt this way before about anyone. I don't think I could ever imagine my life with anyone before, but now I can't imagine my life without you. But I don't want to hurt the person I love so much, I can't force my love into anything…. I'm not gonna try and still be friends because I can't see you as just a friend, you mean too much. But always remember that you ever need someone to hold onto, someone to cry with, someone to love you; then I'm always there, always." And with that Dean took a look at Chloe's quivering back and walked off.

Chloe listened to his tender voice tell her how he'd always be there for her and her heart screamed out to let him hold her. But she wasn't going to let anyone else get hurt and she wasn't going to have her heart broken again, she thought sternly. She heard him walk away and couldn't help herself from turning around to watch his figure disappear down the rows of graves. She leant against the old bench breathing heavily and slid down when the tears started trickling down her cheeks. Chloe was so confused; she hated Dean because of his face, but loved him because he was the opposite of everything Jason was. She sobbed uncontrollably and looked at Jason's blurry grave head. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" she whispered closing her eyes.

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Dean paid the cab driver his money and stalked up to his motel room. Once he got to the bed he collapsed on his back and stared at the ceiling. He hated everything right now; the ugly room, the ugly hot weather and his ugly life. He couldn't think of a time greater than this when he'd wished he had a normal life. He bit back the tears in his eyes even when they started to blur his vision. Why could he never keep the ones he loved? What was wrong with him having someone to love? He'd never fallen in love before, he and Sammy hadn't been brought up that way. Any feelings he had ever had for a girl had only lasted a night or at the most two nights. He'd never risked getting even remotely attached to any girl and now he'd risked it all for Chloe; someone who was in torment because of him.

He got up and his anger returned, the momentary anger which Chloe had glimpsed at the graveyard. He growled with hurt and kicked the dressing table onto the floor. He gritted his teeth as his blow to the wall resulted in a painful fist. And after a few moments of running his hands through his hair he got up and flung his clothes and belongings into his small suitcase. Dean couldn't stay here, if his brother wanted to that was fine, Sam could do whatever he wanted but there was no way Dean could stay here without drowning in pain.

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Lois hugged Sam gently and smiled into his shoulder. "You should have told me this before, Sam, I don't care what you're childhood was like. Mine wasn't any better, mom died before I could remember her, and dad never had time for me. It was hard. And yeah your job isn't what most people do but its what keeps this world safe. You shouldn't feel ashamed or embarrassed about it. Something so big……….I mean you and your brother save people from things they don't even know could hurt them. Sam you're anything but short of a hero." She said stroking his back.

Of course she had been shocked to hear what Sam was saying when she decided to confront him about his secrecy that early afternoon. But after seeing so many extra ordinary things happen here in Smallville, she couldn't not believe what he'd told her. And when he'd told her why he had been so secretive and about his life she'd wrapped him in her arms wondering how she'd gotten a guy like him. He breathed a sigh of relief and muttered softly, "I didn't know how you'd take this Lois; I was scared you'd be disgusted and freaked out, that's why I took so long to tell you. But it was never because of me not trusting you; I trust you with my life. I just didn't want you to get scared. I didn't want to lose you because I told you things you weren't ready for." He pulled away from her slightly and smiled into her brown eyes.

"You can't ever scare me by telling me the truth Sam, I love you too much. I'm just glad that you've told me about your past and about what you do. Now I know I've got someone experienced to protect me…." She said quietly grinning mischievously. He grinned back and lowered his lips down to hers for a warm kiss. She kissed him back more passionately this time and felt him respond eagerly. Just then the doorbell rang and she broke away reluctantly. Sam smiled, "Talk about bad timing. If that's Dean, can we shut the door and start where we left off?" he asked stroking her face. Lois smiled, "That's not a bad idea." She replied quickly walking over to the front door.

She pulled the door open and smiled, "Chloe, hey guess what…..Sweetie what's wrong, hey what happened? Come here" she said when she realized her cousin was trembling and her face had become red and splotchy from crying. She pulled Chloe inside and shut the door, making sure Chloe was nestled in her arm. Sam came to the door grinning but when he saw Chloe's state his smile slipped off.

"What happened? Chloe what's wrong…..Did someone hurt you?" he asked immediately coming to Lois and Chloe's side. He remembered that she'd gone with Dean to the graveyard and realized she had come back alone and in tears. "Dean, was it Dean Chloe?" he asked quietly. She didn't say anything but closed her eyes at the mention of his name.

Sam felt like giving his brother a good kick in the nuts for making Chloe so distressed. He knew he sometimes lacked a brain but this was too far. He took his coat and started out of the door. Lois looked at him questioningly over Chloe's head and he mouthed, "Dean." She nodded and went back to asking Chloe what had happened.

When Sam arrived at the motel room, he was greeted by a suitcase which missed his head by a few centimetres. "Get your stuff in quick." Dean said loudly from next to his packed suitcase. Sam stared at his brother, had Dean been crying? Dean glared at him. "What, are you deaf Sam? Get your things in the suitcase and let's go!" he barked out. Sam shook his head and flung the suitcase back at Dean. "What the hell are you talking about Dean? What did you say to Chloe? She's over there crying her eyes out and looking like a mess. What happened at the graveyard?" he asked. Dean gritted his teeth and stared at Sam like he was going to tear him apart. "I'm not going to sit here and give you a therapy story, so why don't we stop wasting time and get out of here before I sock you in the face?"

Sam had never seen dean look so angry and hurt at the same time. His eyes were red and his mouth was drawn into a snarl. Something had happened and it had left his brother extreme. He took a step towards Dean and Dean sat down on the bed. "Why does it always happen to me Sam? Why couldn't she listen to her heart?" he asked his brother his voice becoming thick. Suddenly Sam knew what Dean was talking about and he put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Did you tell her how you felt?" he asked quietly. Dean shrugged his hand away but nodded, "Yeah I told her about how I felt…..I wasn't even sure about how I felt until I saw her face when we got there. She's everything I need Sam…..everything I didn't know I wanted. But I'm everything she hates right now; she can't look at me without seeing Jason. She can't see the Dean who loves her more than anyone he's ever loved. And I'm not going to stay here and give her another moment to feel pain. We're leaving Sam. Well I am….if you want to stay that's fine." He said realizing that he'd be dragging his brother away from someone he loved. Sam stared at his brother's stiff form. "Are you sure about this Dean? Maybe you could talk to her and-" he started but Dean cut him off.

"That's what we did Sam, we talked about it and this is what her decision was. Look I'm going see you later." He said getting up and picking up his suitcase. Sam got up too, "If you're going then I'm coming too." He said firmly. Dean gave him a small smile, "You don't have to, you've got Lois here for you." He said quietly. Sam nodded, "Yeah I have Lois here for me but you're my brother and right now you don't have anyone with you. I'm going to." He confirmed.

Dean shook his head slightly but said, "Fine, you might wanna tell Barbie about it." He said throwing Sam his phone. Sam looked at it, "Actually I was thinking of telling her in person." He said carefully. Dean shrugged, "We'll stop by her place then. But don't take too long Sam." He warned.

Sam nodded at him and dialled Lois's number. Dean turned to Sam's suitcase and started throwing some things in.

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Meanwhile Lois soothed Chloe into telling her what had happened. Chloe found herself telling Lois everything about her and Jason and this whole Dean dilemma. Lois handed her some tissues and rubbed her shoulder. "Chloe, why didn't you ever tell me all this? All this time I thought that you were fine and really you had all this pain kept inside?" she said slightly in disbelief, she thought she knew her cousin. Chloe shook her head and pressed a tissue against her eyes. "I thought that you would probably be disgusted with me. You'd probably hate me as well." She whispered. Lois gave her hug and found her eyes getting moist as well. "Chloe, I'm your cousin, not someone who's going to judge you because of a mistake you made. We're family and family stick together no matter what happens. You're practically my sister and if Lana has something to say when she finds out, she can say it to me first, or Dean, if he gets there before me." Lois said pointedly.

Chloe looked up at her sharply. "What are you trying to say?" she said. Lois smiled at her, "Chloe Dean made you smile and laugh for the few days he's been here in Smallville. He's been there for you when you thought no one would be, he loves you. He wants to make you happy, and you should let him." She explained. Chloe shook her head and told her what she'd told Dean. She couldn't be happy when she wrecked someone else's life.

Lois shook her head impatiently and stared at her cousin. "Chloe, you have every right to be happy. Stop killing yourself with guilt. What happened happened in the past and now you have to move on. Dean makes you happy; he's been helping you get out of the past and moving you towards a future with him. Don't pull away from it." Lois was on her haunches now and Chloe was listening intently. Of course he made her happy. And when she thought about it now, she realized when she was with him she forgot about Jason. She only thought about Dean and her.

Lois took her hand and asked her, "Do you love him?" Chloe sniffed and thought about how she had gotten her life back for a few days when Dean had been with her. She nodded slowly, "I-I do love him, but now its too late. I finished things off with him at the graveyard-" she said but was cut off by the ringing of Lois's phone.

Lois picked it up and answered it. Meanwhile Chloe thought about how stupid she was to let her head get in her heart's way. Of course she felt what Dean did, but she hadn't wanted to say it. Now she wanted to tell Dean to never let her go. She wanted a life with him next to her, teasing and making her laugh. Making her feel like a beautiful person when she was sure she wasn't. Chloe closed her eyes and hoped to god she could say all these things to him. Just then Lois got off the phone looking slightly sad herself. Chloe asked her, "What happened?" and Lois bit her bottom lip. After a few seconds she spoke quietly, "That was Sam; he says that he's leaving Smallville with Dean right now. They're going Chloe, and if you don't tell Dean that you love him he's never going to know and he'll never come back again." She said realistically.

Chloe took some deep breaths, and looked up at Lois. "I have to tell him then." She said quietly. Lois grinned at her, "that you love him?" she asked. Chloe nodded, "And that he makes me happy." She whispered.

She looked up sharply at Lois, "When are they leaving?" Lois looked at the clock on the wall. "They should be here anytime now. Sam wanted to say good bye." She replied, looking slightly distant.

"Aren't you going to try to stop him from leaving?" Chloe asked. Lois was in love and the guy was going to just leave? Lois shook her head sadly, "When you love someone, you don't try to force them back. And he said he won't be gone for long; until Dean finds what he wants to do. And I can wait for Sam as long as he wants me too." She said fondly. Chloe smiled at her. "Once Dean stays, Sam will too and I'll beg Dean until he does stay. I don't want to lose him." She said quietly.

Lois pulled Chloe into another hug and laughed, "You know falling in love with a couple of Winchester boys is hard work." She said muffled by her emotions. Chloe nodded, "Yeah tell me about it." Just then they heard the squeak of a car tyre and Chloe recognized it instantly. It was Dean and Sam in their Impala.

She pulled away from Lois and took a deep breathe. Lois smiled and said quickly, "Now is the time to tell him Chloe." Chloe nodded.

**Hey ppl I know this chapter is longer than the other ones, but I wanted to make it worthwhile to read. Thanks heaps for all the reviews, they really help and if you have any suggestions or critisms go ahead, I'm all for it. Hope you like this chapter. Bye.**


	7. Chapter 7

- 16 -

**Nobody Knows This Secret**

_Hey ppl this is my first sn/sv fanfic so I hope you like it. I always wondered what it would have been like if Chloe and Jason had been together instead of Jason and Lana. But Im still hoping for a dean/chloe crossover episode. I don't own anything from smallville or supernatural, none of the characters, places etc. I __**wish**__ I owned the Winchester boys. Im just building a story here. Enjoy and plz plz plz review. Thanks_

**Chapter Seven**

Sam watched Dean's stoic face as they pulled into the Kent's driveway. He wasn't sure how to convince Dean that they should stay. He didn't just want to stay because of Lois even though she was a major factor for his staying in Smallville, it had been the first time in ages that he'd seen his brother so happy and intent on making someone laugh again. Sam could tell that Dean was really serious about Chloe and that he was hurting inside from seeing her in pain. He knew that if they left like this Dean and Chloe would both be miserable for a long time, maybe even forever.

As the Impala halted to a stop he saw the door open and Lois came out looking serious and anxious. He smiled at her but found that it didn't reach his eyes. He didn't want to leave her, but he didn't want to leave his brother alone too and he had talked to her on the phone, where they agreed that he would come back in a few weeks. She smiled back at him and quickly stepped towards their car as he got out. He looked back at his brother who had pulled on a pair of sunglasses and gave a short nod.

Lois hugged him tightly. "Sam, you don't have to go." She said quietly. He pulled back slightly and peered into her face. He thought they'd talked about this and she had seemed alright about it. "Lois….i have to go with Dean, he needs me right now, I'll be back." He said quickly, hoping she wouldn't cry. She shook her head, "No, what I mean is that Chloe, she loves your brother, and she's ready to move on. She's going to tell Dean how much she needs him here. If Dean still wants to be with her, she's ready for it." She said glancing at Dean who was staring right ahead. He must have felt Lois's eyes on him because he turned and gave a small smile.

Sam looked at her closely, "But I thought Chloe didn't……." he started but Lois shook her head again. "No she was scared, she still is but we talked and I know she loves Dean, she's just been too scared to let go of the past and live." She said quietly. Sam smiled at her. "I know Dean loves her, he'll stay if she tells him to." He replied. Over Lois's head he saw the door open again and a slightly more composed Chloe stepped out. She gulped and stared at Dean who hadn't seen her come out.

Lois looked over at Chloe and smiled at her reassuringly. She turned back to Sam and asked, "Do you think we should go in and let them talk things out?" Sam nodded, "Yeah let's just hope they can start afresh." He followed Lois to the front door, passing Chloe who gave him a scared smile. He smiled back, "Hey don't worry Chloe." He said placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded even though all she was doing right now was worrying. If Dean left she'd never forgive herself for breaking his heart.

The door closed behind her and she looked at Dean again who had just turned around to call out to Sam. He caught sight of her and froze staring at her walking up to him in the car. He took of his sunglasses which were hiding his swollen eyes (he hadn't cried but his eyes had been dangerously close) and placed them in the dashboard. He didn't know what was going to happen now, he wasn't sure what should.

He loved her more than anything but he didn't want to force her into a relationship she might never be ready for. And here she was standing there looking forlorn and anxious when she'd told him less than half an hour ago that she hated him. Chloe put a hand on the car's door and asked quietly, "Dean Can I talk to you?" Dean who had been staring at her pale face nodded and got out of the car, walking over to the side she was on and leaning slightly against it.

They stood there for a few seconds quiet and awkward when she took his hand in hers and said in a quiet voice, "When I first saw you, I was scared and happy at the same time. I had mixed feelings about you and they carried on even when you became my friend, my closest friend. When you spent all that time with me, making me laugh, smile and made me live my life normally for once, I was so happy. My past didn't make a difference. But I was so consumed in guilt I didn't want you to love me Dean, because I didn't trust myself or anyone else. The truth is that I love you too Dean. You've made me feel again, you're the reason I smile and I don't want to lose you just because I can't trust myself. I don't want you to go away, I want you right by my side because I know you'll support me through whatever happens." She looked up from his hands and saw his red eyes filled with the love always there for her.

His lips formed into a smile and he pulled her into his arms. He held her as tight as he could her face on his shoulder, her scent intoxicating him. He breathed out, "You know I love you so much. I didn't want to go but I thought if I was the reason for your pain then I could make it go away." He rested his forehead against hers and she shook her head, "You can make my pain go away by staying here. I'm sorry for all the things I said……it was just so hard letting you in." she admitted. Dean rubbed her back slowly and looked her in the eyes, "Don't worry about what will happen when Lana comes back. I'm here for you Chloe; we'll go through it together. You're never alone." He said firmly. She nodded; she realized it now that she had him with her every step of the way.

Suddenly Dean felt much better, hearing her voice tell him that she loved him made him want to throw her up in the air but he had a feeling she wouldn't be ready for such a surprise. If Chloe hadn't told him how she felt he would have carried a broken heart forever. He squinted for awhile over Chloe's head trying to figure out what was moving in the Kent's window. His smile widened when he realized it was Sam and Lois peering out at them through the windows with anxious looks on their faces. They saw him stare back at them and quickly disappeared

Chloe looked up at him, "I love you Dean." She whispered stretching up to kiss him. He kissed her back holding onto her like he'd never let go. "I love you too." He said after they broke apart. She smiled at him, something he hadn't seen all day and asked if he wanted to go inside. He grinned remembering his brother and Lois and nodded, "Yeah Barbie and Sam are waiting." He replied as they walked to the door. Chloe smiled again, "You know I think we scared them, if I didn't tell you how I felt you and Sam would've gone and Lois and Sam wouldn't be together." She said turning the doorknob.

He grinned, "So that's why they so badly wanted us to make up." She smiled and shook her head, "No they really want us to be together because Lois knew before I did that you make me happy." She answered. Dean placed a hand on her shoulder, "And you know that you're the one who keeps me happy right?" he asked gently. Chloe smiled, "Yes I do and I'm never forgetting that." She said placing a hand over his. She opened the door and found a smiling Sam and Lois staring at her and Dean from the couch.

Sam grinned carefully, "Hey guys." He looked at Lois who seemed to be asking him something with her eyes. Chloe looked at Dean and almost smiled, he was wearing an expressionless face but she could see the slight twinkle in his eyes when he glanced at her. She kept her face sober and replied dully, "Hey." Lois and Sam exchanged worried looks. Dean stared hard at Sam and Lois asked quickly, "Is everything alright? Dean what's wrong?" Dean glanced at her coldly before saying to Sam quietly, "Let's go Sam," and turning around. Sam looked at Chloe quickly but she kept her eyes on her shoes her mouth pinching slightly so she wouldn't smile.

Sam walked up to Dean quickly and shook his elbow. "Dean what happened? Where are we going?" he asked. Dean looked at him expressionlessly and wasn't surprised to see so much hope and worry in them. He knew his brother inside out and he knew that when he loved someone, whether it was a girl or his family, he wouldn't ever abandon them or leave their side. He was passionate and protective when it came to the ones he loved and Lois was now included. Leaving her would hurt him but because he loved his brother he wouldn't stay. Maybe that was what Dean admired the most about his brother, his loyalty and his commitment.

Lois was staring at the brothers and then at Chloe who was staring at the ground. She knew he would have to leave eventually maybe even sooner than they wanted, but she loved Sam and didn't want to spend another day without him. She didn't know what sort of future was in store for them but there wouldn't be any point if he wasn't there. She saw Dean's stony face flicker to hers and she frowned when a wide smile broke out on it. "We're going back to the motel to unpack…..that alright with you Sam? I don't know how Mrs. Kent's going to handle waking up to you two in a room if you move in with Barbie." He said slapping his brother on his back. Sam stared at his brother in disbelief, okay…….

Lois watched in relief and amazement as Chloe looked up at her smiling as well. "So you guys are?" she asked unsure to ask or not. "We're together now." Chloe said nodding at her. Dean half nodded and half jerked his shoulders. "Yeah but none of this we're a couple thing. It sounds girly, something Sam would say." He grinned. Sam glared at him although for once he was glad Dean was his annoying self again.

Lois gave Chloe a hug and smiled at Dean, "If you make her cry again….." she warned however. Dean grinned, "Yeah I know you'll probably kick my ass but since that's not gonna happen don't worry about it." He said quickly. Sam looked at Dean carefully and asked, "So we're going to the motel?" Dean nodded, "Yeah."

"We're staying here for a few more days?" he asked again. Dean nodded impatiently, "Yeah now can we go? The guy at the motel was going to give our room to some French tourists." He said tapping his foot impatiently. Sam nodded and turned to give Lois a hug.

She glanced at Chloe and Dean but kissed Sam anyway and Dean rolled his eyes. He turned to Chloe, "Alright then, I'm staying here for as you want me to, I'll see you later okay?" he said pulling her into his arms. She nodded and kissed him on his cheek. "Thankyou." She whispered. He squeezed her lightly, "The pleasures mine." He replied after letting her go. He looked at Sam, "Ready?" he asked. Sam nodded and said bye to Lois and Chloe. As they left the house Dean and Sam exchanged grateful looks. When they climbed into the Impala Sam looked at Dean, "What?" he asked. Sam shrugged. "You don't mind us not hunting? I mean, what if we're losing track of-" he started but Dean cut him off. "We're getting a shot at a real normal and happy life for once Sam. Even though I wouldn't mind it lasting forever, I don't know if it will so let's just enjoy it while we can without questioning it alright? Anyways, this town's filled with weird stuff going on, we'll come across something evil and we'll kill it." He concluded. Sam thought about it and nodded. It was true, they hardly ever got a shot at a normal life, especially Dean, and they deserved this one.

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Dean and Sam really were getting a chance at being happy. Dean for once was more relaxed and calm, he didn't know if it was because of being Chloe or if it was the fact that they were living normally in Smallville. He and Sam had become regular visitors at the Kent house, something Mrs. Kent said she didn't mind. While they had been having lunch one day she had looked wistfully at the boys and said, "You boys remind me of my Clark. He hasn't been gone long, and he'll be back in a few days but I still miss him, the house was so quiet without him. But now that you boys are here, it's livelier around here." The boys had smiled fondly at her. She was a reflection of their mother, her serenity, her nurturing nature and her insistence on feeding them as much as they could eat and Dean sometimes felt slightly more emotional when he talked to Mrs. Kent. He didn't say anything to Sam however it felt like Sam knew it too. She was aware of Dean looking just like Jason but she acted like she hadn't even realized something else he found which put him at ease.

Dean and Chloe found themselves even more at ease with each other when the days went by. Dean loved everything about Chloe, except perhaps her stubbornness which had been displayed when they had gone to see a movie (a romantic comedy) and he didn't want their days at Smallville to end. But he knew they couldn't stay forever, they had to finish their job and it wasn't in Smallville. He mentioned this to Chloe one day when they had been lounging on her sofa talking about the dangerous spirits and demons he and Sam faced. He pulled her further into his arms, placing his chin on her shoulder. "Hey you know that when Sam and I hunt we've gotta go places, like around the country and stuff." He said examining her long fingers.

Chloe nodded, "Hmm, I know Dean. I think you guys know all the motels around here." She said grinning. He grinned too. "Yeah." He turned her around slightly so that her face was looking back at him. He took a deep breath. "Chloe, you know that I love you and when I spend all this time with you it feels like everything that I wanted is coming true. And I never want to leave you, but what Sam and I do; it's not a job where we're allowed to quit. We can't just tell people not to depend on us because we're not doing this anymore, you know? So it's hard for us to have a normal life. It's going to be hard for me to always be here with you. But I want to; it's just that I don't think I can." He said sadly his hand leaving hers momentarily.

He looked down and saw Chloe take his hand and place a small kiss on it. She smiled at him and wrapped his arms around her. "Dean, I know what your life is like. And I know what mine's like as well. I think I can say that we're opposites because the jobs we do are far apart. But that doesn't mean I don't understand how you guys do things. I'm not going to tie you down with me and say that you can't go save people from being ripped to shreds by all those evil creatures out there. You have a destiny to follow and that's what you're going to do Dean. I'm proud of that, its something else I admire about you. You're dedicated to this life of yours." She said lifting her shoulders faintly. Dean kissed her, "Have to be if I wanna keep people safe." He said quickly. She nodded, "So how long are you going to stay?" she asked.

Dean stared at her firmly, "As long as you need me too." He replied. She ran her hand through his hair, "Forever but I know you can't. Dean I don't want you to go until I tell Lana. I need you there for me to be able to tell her. I can't do it by myself." She admitted. She had become more confident in her decision to tell Lana everything but she was still shaky. Dean kissed her again. "Then I'll be there. When is she coming back from Paris?" he asked. Chloe took a deep breath, "She's coming back in two days, with Clark. Dad's coming back from his Florida trip tomorrow, so you'll get to meet him too." She said remembering her father's phone call the night before.

"Great, meeting the father, he's not going to kill me is he?" he asked aware of over protective fathers. Chloe smiled, "No. My dad's a softie and he loves me so whoever makes me happy, he's fine with them. But I don't know how he'll measure your sanity if you tell him what your job is. He already thinks I've got a thing for going out with mental guys." She said grinning. Dean laughed, "That's all good, in front of your dad I'm a fellow reporter at the place you work in…….wait what's it called?" he said trying to remember the name of the paper Chloe worked in. Chloe laughed and rolled her eyes. "The Daily Planet?" she offered. He grinned, "Yeah it was on the tip of my tongue." He said.

Chloe got off the couch, and Dean tried to pull her back down, "Where are you going?" he asked. She took his hands off her hers and smiled, "I'm going to have my shower, if that's alright with you." She said. He got up as well, "Actually that's fine if I'm allowed to come." He said smirking. Chloe tried to glare at him but laughed. "No, you can just sit back down. I think one free show was enough." She said remembering vividly the time he'd busted in on her taking a shower. Dean smirked, "I wouldn't mind a second but you can go." He sat back down and she walked off upstairs.

Dean heard the shower go off upstairs and settled back into the couch. He flipped through the sports channels on TV and scowled when the phone rang. He wasn't sure if he should answer it or not but decided it might be important for Chloe. He picked it up and listened. "Chloe honey, how are you?" an older man's weary voice said. Dean frowned and said uncertainly, "Hello, who's talking?" There was a pause on the phone before the man asked back, "Hello? Who's this? Where's Chloe?" the man sounded slightly worried. Dean's eyes widened when he remembered Chloe mentioning earlier that she was expecting her dad to call. Well, he thought, speak of the devil. "Um, Mr. Sullivan?" he said. "Yes? Who am I speaking to?" Gabe Sullivan asked back.

Dean grinned, not that the guy could see him, but Dean was talking to the man who loved Chloe probably even more than he did. "Um, I'm a friend of Chloe's. She's um not here right now did you want me to leave a message for her?" he asked, hoping Chloe would appear and take the phone off him. Gabe coughed loudly and asked, "You're her friend?" with a hint of awareness. Dean nodded and then shook his head, what was he doing?

"Um yeah I'm her friend." He said slowly. Gabe sighed slightly and said, "Yes well could you please tell her I called and that I'll be there by 11:00am at the airport." He coughed again and continued. "And tell her that I love her." He said softly. Dean grinned, "Will do sir." He said happily. Gabe said bye and hung up while Dean did the same. He sat back down (the nervousness had made him pace around a bit) and flicked off the mute button of the TV.

After some time Chloe came back downstairs, her hair damp and a towel in her hand. She had pulled on her bathrobe. "Was that the phone before?" she asked after he kissed her lightly. He nodded, "Yeah it was your dad." He said making room for her on the couch. She smiled at him. "Really and he talked to you?" she asked interested in what they said to each other. Dean let his head drop faintly towards hers. "Well I couldn't hang up on him, could I?" he said grinning.

She grinned back at him. "What did he say?" she asked again. Dean smiled, "He was just calling to let you know he'll be at the airport tomorrow at eleven in the morning. And that he loves you." He said. Chloe smiled softly at her dad's affection. He often had to spend time away but he always made sure she knew how much he loved her. She remembered how he was starting to sound sick. "Did he sound sick?" she asked Dean. Dean looked at her and nodded, "Yeah, he was sort of coughing. Not a lot or anything, just a few times. Is he alright?" he asked. She nodded, "Yeah he's just getting old." She said hoping that was it. Dean nodded and smiled at her pulling her in closely.

Chloe smiled at him and said, "You know while I was in the shower I was thinking." Dean raised his eyebrows. "Thinking about?" he had become accustomed to hearing this sentence followed by an outrageous idea during the past few days. Chloe's smile grew wider. "Well, seeing as how we're going to miss each other so much while we're apart why don't I help you and Sam by coming with you guys." She said quickly putting a hand around Dean's neck and hoping he'll become too distracted to process everything. Dean who almost **had** become distracted by her pale soft hand opened his eyes and said firmly, "I don't think so." Chloe let her hand drop and asked, "But why not? I could help you guys research and stuff." She tried to reason.

Dean shook his head, "Chloe, you're not coming with us. And I've got heaps of reasons to back me up." He pointed out as she opened her mouth. She closed it, opened it again and said, "What reasons?" He took a deep breath and started counting them off on his fingers. "One; you've got all your friends and family here, Two; you've got your dream job here, Three; our job isn't safe for you, Four; when your dad finds out he's gonna kill me, Five; because I don't wanna lose you too." He saw her face soften with the last one but then she replied loudly.

"Dean Winchester, One; If my friends and family know I'm with you they won't mind me not being here, Two; I could build my job while travelling with you guys, Three; I've gotten out of situations even worse than what you guys do, Four; my dad wouldn't even think of hurting the man I love because he loves me too and Five; you're never gonna lose me. See I've got a rebuttal for all your reasons Dean." She said smirking. Dean frowned but couldn't help grinning as he asked her, "Did you do debating?"

She laughed and shook her head. She was about to reply, it's because I'm a reporter when he said it for her. She blushed slightly at how well he knew her now and he said sighing, "I know, I know……but still you can't come. I mean it when I say that I'm not going to have you leave everything behind to get killed on the job. It's dangerous Chloe. Even worse than the things you've faced. The people you faced were humans or semi humans by the sound of it. But the things Sam and me face aren't. They don't have any trouble in killing innocent people. And if they find out how much I love you, they'll go after you especially. And if something happens to you I won't be able to forgive myself." He said firmly.

Chloe sighed. "The Luthors can't be considered humans." She said quietly. Dean looked at her softly and pulled her chin up with his hand. "I know you'll miss me and I'll miss you too, but I'd rather come back to you after not seeing you for ages, than come back to a Smallville without a Chloe. It's not gonna be worth it." He said running his thumb across her soft skin. She smiled and let her eyes drop to watch the carpet's interesting texture.

Dean sighed again and said, "Okay, look let's go and see that new movie to cheer you up. You know the one with that guy, the one you think is hot, even though I look better……What's his face, Ben Affleck. And we'll do something couple-y the way they do in the movies. Come on it's a good offer; you know I usually don't do couple-y things." He said waggling his eyebrows. She laughed, forgetting how sad she was a few moments ago. "Yeah okay. Let me get dressed." She said smiling again. Dean grinned, "A towel would be fine." He said mischievously. She tilted her head to a side. "Nice try but no." she said grinning.

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Chloe looked up at the clock expectantly and sighed, "He should have been here fifteen minutes ago." She grumbled to an anxious Dean. Well, a **was** anxious Dean, now he seemed to be having a lot of fun playing on the PS2 Chloe pulled out from the back of her closet. "What?" he asked as he tried beheading a demon on the TV screen. "Dean." Chloe exclaimed. Dean looked up momentarily. "Sorry but this is just way too easy. If only killing demons was this simple in real life man. Oh and don't worry about your dad. He's probably caught in traffic." He said his eyes not moving from the banshee who'd just snuck up on him. Chloe rolled her eyes and glance at the clock again. Dean pressed pause on the game and grinned, "Okay look if he's not here in another five minutes I'll go to the airport and pick him up myself. Alright?" he asked. Chloe walked over and ruffled his hair. He groaned; she knew he hated that. She laughed at his expression and sat back down again.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Chloe snapped out of her seat. Dean was still playing and when the knock sounded again, the controller went slipping out of his hand. "Damn it." He cursed picking it up again. Chloe stared at him, "Dean!" she hissed. His mouth formed an 'O' as he realized Gabe Sullivan was probably on the other side of the door. He quickly paused the game and stood up, his palms sweaty from gripping the controller so hard.

Chloe quickly opened the door and hugged her tired looking father. "Dad." She breathed as her father gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. He smiled, his eyes crinkling and said, "Hey sweet heart, my, it seems like whenever I come back you've become more beautiful." Chloe smiled and hugged him again before letting him in. Dean watched the tired looking man enter the house and quickly stepped forward to grab his suitcase. Gabe turned to Dean and stared at him with slightly raised eyebrows. He turned to Chloe, "Is this your special friend?" he asked. Chloe tried not to grin so much while she nodded. "Um yeah, dad this is Dean Winchester and Dean this is my dad, Gabe Sullivan." She said looking at Dean.

Dean quickly grinned and shook Gabe's hand with his free one. "Hi sir." He said wondering if he was passing any test her father was giving him yet. The older man looked at him carefully and nodded. "Hello Dean. Don't worry about my suitcase, I'm not that weak yet." He said gruffly as he took the suitcase back from Dean. Dean looked at Chloe alarmingly but she shook her head as if to say it was alright. He smiled uncertainly at Gabe and said, "Sorry sir." Gabe looked back at him with amusement in his eyes.

He walked over to the couch and sat down rubbing his head lightly. He glanced at his daughter. "How's the Daily Planet doing?" he asked. Chloe grinned again. "It's working fine because I'm there." She smiled at Dean who looked a bit lost. He smiled back and her father glanced at both of them. "So I'm taking it that you're seeing each other?" he asked. Chloe grinned shyly at her dad. "Yeah we are. I met Dean a week ago, he and his brother are here for work." She said quickly. Gabe looked at his daughter carefully. "Well, I guess the family business is going strong still?" he asked Dean. Dean's head snapped to his face. "What- What do you mean?" he asked nervously. Chloe was gaping at her dad as well.

Gabe chuckled. "After spending all that time with John Winchester, I think I'd be able to spot his kin." He said staring at Dean. Dean gaped at him now. "You know my father?" he asked, boy was this a small world or what? Chloe looked on with shock as well. Gabe sighed heavily, "I'd love to tell you the story but I'm afraid I can't without a decent brew of coffee. The flight gets to you, you know?" he said mildly. He glanced at the TV screen and grinned, "Well, that's a bit of a give away itself." He said motioning at the banshee on screen. Chloe grinned and said to her father. "I'll make some coffee for you. In fact I think we could all use some coffee." She said realizing Dean could use something to drink. He nodded back but Dean was still eyeing Gabe with astonishment and wariness.

Chloe could hear him ask Gabe suddenly, "Dad told you about what he did?" The suspicion was clear in his tone. She quickly set the coffee machine and walked back into the lounge, taking a place on the other sofa next to Dean. Gabe nodded, "Yes he did. Well, he had to once I stumbled across that journal of his back when we shared a cabin in the marines. He asked me to bring him his gun once when we were on a break during training and while trying to find his gun in that pig sty of a cabin, I found the journal instead. John and I had no secrets, we were training for wars, and you couldn't hide anything even if you wanted to while you were there."

Chloe walked back into the kitchen and a few minutes later, brought in a tray of coffee. While she was in the kitchen she strained her ears to hear any conversation. But her dad was quiet. And so was Dean.

Her father grinned warmly when she handed him his mug of coffee and patted her gently on the back. He smiled at Dean who took his mug in a lost state. Chloe hid her smile when she saw him. She was tempted to hug him. Gabe looked around and rested back, "Now, where was I. Oh yes, so I decided to have a look into this tatty looking journal. And I was pretty shocked and surprised. I mean this was a side of Winchester I'd never seen. The things I read about in that diary were absolutely shocking. When I confronted John about it he shrugged and said if I wanted to believe it I could and if I wanted to act like I'd never seen it I could gladly do so. He thought I'd choose the second option but I told him, I wanted to know more about all this. It was damn weird alright but it made sense when you thought about it." Gabe stopped to take a sip out of his coffee.

Dean asked quickly, "You didn't think my dad was off his rocker?" he asked in disbelief. Most people would. Gabe's eyes twinkled. "Well, there were times I thought John needed some medical attention but that was when he'd turn up half drunk in front of the general in charge. But no, you're father was probably one of the toughest men I'd ever met. He was a good friend but we lost contact when he left the marines. And we went our separate ways, I came here and my wife was expecting. You were probably a few years old at that time. But after that I didn't much here from him." Gabe said looking out the window.

Chloe breathed slowly, she hadn't even known her father was in the marines before this day. And he knew Dean and his father before this? "Dad you never told me you were in the army." She said looking at her dad. He smiled sadly, "Yes, I never told you. But I wasn't too fond about those days. Apart from the short friendship I had with your father and a few other men back then, there wasn't much to be content with." He said partly to Dean as well. He turned back to Chloe, "I missed you and your mother terribly while I was away. But I will say this. I'm not that surprised to see you with a Winchester, I figured it was only a little wait until you'd meet your match in a couple of boys riding around the country. Sometimes I thought maybe your one meeting with John had changed you into a curious little minx from the start. His sons would be an ideal force to reckon with." He said grinning slightly.

Dean looked at Chloe interestingly. He turned back to Gabe, "Dad met Chloe?" he asked. Chloe asked as well, "I met John Winchester? But I don't even remember." Her father laughed again, coughing slightly. "Oh yes you met him. I'm pretty sure you were four years old. John was hunting something in Smallville; believe it was a werewolf or something. I met him outside the bar and invited him back home. You were pretty fascinated with him, he was telling me about all the things he'd hunted down so far. He was there for a half hour or so until he got a call and then he was off again to find the werewolf. Since then you started questioning everything. I blame John for that." Her father said fondly ruffling her hair.

Dean took a deep breath. "Well, that's weird." He said quietly. Gabe nodded. "You look just like him you know. And I have no doubt you've been hunting as well for most of your life?" he asked. Dean nodded. "Yeah my brother Sam and I both have." Gabe looked at him intently for a moment and asked, "Has Chloe ever been on a hunt with you boys?" he asked. Dean shook his head, "No, it'd be too dangerous." He said seriously. Her father nodded in approval and Chloe glared at both of them. "Excuse me but just because I'm a girl it doesn't mean I can't handle werewolves and demons." She said indignantly. Her dad shook his head, "Chloe, they hunt more than just demons. It's not something I'd allow you to do, regardless of the fact that you'd do it anyway. It's dangerous and complicated." He concluded.

Dean shared a look with Gabe and he nodded. "Your dad's right Chloe. See i've been telling her the same thing." He said to Gabe. Chloe glared at him. Gabe nodded. "Now if you two don't mind, I'm going off for a nap. That flight's made me tired. I'm sure I'll meet you later Dean, good to know there are more people out there saving the world." He said before walking off to the stairs. Dean called good bye and turned to Chloe. "That was pretty cool. I think I passed." He said half relieved. Chloe frowned, "I can't believe dad had all these secrets. And you were so sucking up to him, 'I've been telling her the same thing'." She muttered. He grinned. "Yeah well it was true and it worked. Your dad's pretty cool." He said joining her as she sat down on the sofa. She smiled at him. "Yeah I guess he is." She said quietly resting her head on his shoulder.

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That evening, Lois, Martha, Sam and Dean were at Chloe's house for dinner, seeing as how Gabe was back. Sam couldn't remember the last time he'd ever had a family dinner and even Lois saw the soft look in his eyes. She carried the dirty dishes into the kitchen where Martha was washing up. Chloe, Dean and Sam were listening to Gabe talk about John and their days back when they were with the marines. Martha smiled at her. "You're smiling more and more every day when you're with Sam Winchester." she noted as she took the pile of dishes off Lois's hands. Lois grinned shyly. "He has that affect on me." She admitted. Martha smiled and nodded. She glanced at Chloe and Dean in the lounge room and said smiling, "Chloe's happier as well." Lois nodded.

Martha smiled again and sighed happily, "Well, tomorrow Clark and Lana will be back too. Then my house will be over run by you lot." She said warmly. Lois smiled but even Martha didn't miss how distant it was. "What's wrong Lois?" she asked. Lois shook her head quickly, she'd been wondering what would happen tomorrow when Chloe would tell Lana everything. "I was just, wondering how Lana would……react to Dean. You know how he looks like her crazy ex?" she said carefully. Martha nodded and looked slightly lost herself. "Well, it will be a shock for her, she had a rough time with Jason, and some really bad memories are connected to him. But she'll have to get over it, and she'll understand in the end that he's not Jason and that he makes Chloe happy. She'll be fine when she hears that, I hope she will be at least." She said soberly.

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The next morning Chloe found herself feeling sick. She secretly had hoped that the flight would be delayed or that Lana and Clark would call to say they were going to stay a while longer because something had come up but of course they had called to tell Chloe, Lois and Martha that they were on their way home and that the trip had been great. That had been five minutes ago and they'd be here at the Kent's house any time. She and Lois shared anxious looks while Martha Kent chattered away happily about Clark returning home. The sudden pause in Mrs. Kent's voice made the girls turn and look at her. "Why aren't Sam and Dean here?" she asked realizing the boys weren't there. Chloe looked sharply at Lois who came to the rescue.

"Dean and Sam are, are…….they met an old friend who needed their help in some, research he's doing. And he's leaving town tomorrow so it was important. They'll be here tonight to meet Clark and Lana." She said quickly. Mrs. Kent nodded, smiling. "Those two could become good friends with Clark" she said absently. Chloe smiled and nodded. There was a reason Dean wasn't here. Chloe didn't know how freaked out Lana would be if she met Dean after coming back from a place she'd first met her psychotic ex. She wanted to make sure it was wise introducing her to Dean right now. And he had understood perfectly, he'd rubbed her shoulders and told her to call him if anything went wrong. Chloe hadn't been able to suppress her smile when he had reassured her, "Dean she's not a shape shifting vampire, she's not going to bite me." She had said. He had grinned back at her but Chloe understood what he meant; she wouldn't bite her if she found out about Dean being Jason's look alike but it was a different matter when she'd find out about Jason and Chloe.

The doorbell rang pulling Chloe out of her train of thoughts and Lois out of her chair. Martha quickly opened the door to a happy looking Clark and Lana. "Clark, Lana." Martha said warmly as she gave first Lana and then Clark a hug. Lana smiled and Clark gave his mother a peck on the cheek. "Hey mom, I missed you." He said quietly. She gave him another hug. "I did too. How was the trip?" she asked. They started on about how good it was, all the places they went to and the people they met. Lois and Chloe hugged Lana and she hung on to them for a while longer. Lois grinned over her shoulder, "Looks like someone missed us." She said. Lana let go of her and looked at both of them happily. "Of course I missed you guys, there was so much I wanted to tell you but none of you called, not even once. And when I called you guys were always out. So I brought back heaps of souvenirs and photos instead." She said grinning widely. She'd missed her two best friends since she'd left.

Chloe's stomach tightened and she gave an uneasy smile. "It's so good to have you back." She said after giving Clark a hug as well. He smiled. "It's good to be back. I mean Paris was good but I was getting pretty homesick." He admitted. Lana rolled her eyes, "He wouldn't even let me shop properly." She complained. The girls laughed. Lois looked at her sternly, "I hope that doesn't mean you forgot to get us presents." Lana laughed, "No I didn't forget. I've gotten something for both of you. The shops there were to die for." She started but the look Clark gave her made her smile and stop talking. He'd heard her talk about all the stuff she'd bought and he was tired of it, after all he'd been listening to it the whole way on the plane.

Martha smiled at the youngsters and disappeared off into the kitchen to make them tea. Clark went after her to talk. Lana didn't notice the quick look Chloe and Lois shared when she bent over to tug her suitcase in. How were they going to even start on Dean or Jason? She got up again and grinned, "So, what have you guys been doing while I was away?" she asked. Lois smiled nervously, "Nothing." She answered. Lana gave her a look of disbelief. "So you guys just stayed at your homes and watched TV even though you've got two weeks off work?" she asked. Chloe and Lois both nodded, which made her even more suspicious. "Okay, you're both gonna help me take my stuff up to your room and then you're gonna spill." She said firmly. Being away really helped her assertiveness, Chloe noticed.

After Lois yelled into the kitchen that they were up in her room if Martha or Clark needed them, the girls pulled Lana's suitcase up to Lois's room and they flopped onto her bed. Lois exaggeratedly panted, "God Lana what did you shop for? Bricks?" Lana laughed and whacked her with a pillow. "Nope, presents for you guys. Look at what I got for you guys." She said as she unzipped her suitcase. While she handed Lois a beautiful pair of boots, she asked, "So when am I getting introduced to these mystery guys?" Lois who had been fawning over the boots almost jumped and Chloe spluttered, "What?" Lana smiled playfully, "You guys didn't think I'd find out? Mrs. Kent told me that you guys were out on a date with some guys named Sam and Dean when I called like last week. Well, she said Sam and Lois were out on a date and that this Dean guy was giving you company but that's pretty much a date to me." Lois stared at her in a mix of surprise and embarrassment while Chloe started taking some quiet deep breaths.

"What else did she tell you?" Chloe asked. Lana's smile lessened slightly. "Not much seeing as how the line went out after that so I didn't get to ask her anything. But I can't believe you didn't tell me. Now spill, tell me everything about these guys. Who are they and how you guys met them." She said inching closer. Chloe looked at Lois who looked slightly anxious herself and she took a deep breath. "Well, their names are Dean and Sam Winchester, they're brothers. And since I've met Dean, everything's changed." She said truthfully. She glanced at Lois who nodded and said, "I second that, except in my case it was Sam who's changed my world around." Lana nodded, "Go on." She said smiling. The cousins shared another look and Chloe prayed that this wouldn't get too bad.

**Lol, I keep planning of ending the story faster by sticking to the conversations I've planned between the characters but I always get sidetracked. Like Gabe Sullivan's part in the story wasn't supposed to be so connected with John Winchester but my imagination went into the 'what if' path. I'm getting ready to write one of the most important parts of the story, when Lana finds out about Jason and Chloe in the next chapter so it's nearing its end. But I'm so sad right now; Smallville and Supernatural are both off season here in Australia. It's so boring without them. Anyways sorry im taking so long, hope you like my story and thanks heaps for all your reviews.**

**Bye,**


	8. Chapter 8

- 20 -

**Nobody Knows This Secret**

_Hey ppl this is my first sn/sv fanfic so I hope you like it. I always wondered what it would have been like if Chloe and Jason had been together instead of Jason and Lana. But Im still hoping for a dean/chloe crossover episode. I don't own anything from smallville or supernatural, none of the characters, places etc. I __**wish**__ I owned the Winchester boys. Im just building a story here. Enjoy and plz plz plz review. Thanks_

**Chapter Eight**

Lana nodded, "Go on." She said smiling. The cousins shared another look and Chloe prayed that this wouldn't get too bad. Chloe looked at Lana carefully. She decided to let this out lightly first. "Well, when I met him at first I couldn't stand him." She started. Lana grinned, "So it was a case of opposites attracting?" she asked. Chloe smiled and nodded. Lana looked at Lois who'd been smiling at how true it was. "What about you two?" she asked. Lois smiled distantly, "Sam and me aren't opposites. We've got quite a few things in common, but when I first met him I thought he was really smart and caring but really shy. But it turns out I'm just as shy when it comes to him so it balances out." She said looking out at the window.

Lois's eyebrows arched and she looked back at Chloe, "I never thought I'd see the day when Lois would be shy with a guy." She said laughing. Lois attempted to whack her. Lana looked at Chloe and then at Lois carefully. "So you guys are really serious about these guys aren't you?" she asked. Chloe nodded and looked at Lois who was smiling back at Lana. The girls were quiet for a few minutes all of them off in their own worlds. Chloe was thinking about what was to come and Lois was thinking about what Lana had said that she really was serious about Sam. Chloe and Lois didn't know what Lana was thinking about but they had a clue that it was probably about something that had happened in Paris with Clark. After a while Lana snapped out of her thoughts and smiled broadly. "So when am I meeting these two guys?" she asked.

Chloe and Lois glanced at each other uneasily. The look didn't go unnoticed by Lana who frowned faintly. "What's wrong?" she asked. Lois tried to grin but her mouth froze halfway through. Chloe placed a hand on Lana's gently. "Lana, there's something you should know…….." she started in a timid voice. The confidence which had instilled in her was starting to dissipate. Lana squeezed Chloe's hand as well, wondering what could possibly make Chloe feel so scared. "What's wrong? Is someone hurt?" she asked immediately. She was so used to hearing about people getting hurt in Smallville.

Chloe shook her head, "No, no one's hurt." She reassured. She started again, "There's something about Dean. It might freak you out." Lana glanced at Lois who seemed to be holding her breath. "Chloe just tell me what it is……the suspense is really killing me." Lana said with a smile even though she had a bad feeling about this. "Dean looks like someone we know, someone we though was dead. I don't know how to……..Lana he looks exactly like Jason." She said finally. Lana eye's sharpened and she squeezed Chloe's hand quickly. "What do you mean he looks like Jason?" she asked keeping her voice carefully free of any emotion. Chloe's eyes dropped to the bedspread and then looked up at Lana's emotionless face. "He looks identical to Jason…….I mean, if you saw him you'd think he was Jason. It's like identical twins." She said quickly. Lana pulled her hand away. "Chloe this isn't funny if this is a joke." She said trying to smile. Chloe bit her lip and she felt Lois's hand on her shoulder.

"Lana I'm not kidding about this." She said slowly. "Wha-what…….is he, is he related to-to Jason?" she asked, half in disbelief and half in shock. Chloe shook her head rustily, "No, no Lana he doesn't have anything to do with Jason. He only has one brother and that's Sam, he didn't even know Jason before we told him that he looked like him." She didn't know how much of this Lana was taking in but she wanted her to understand desperately. Lana looked up at Chloe and then at Lois. "Does he really look like Jason?" she asked her as if demanding an eye witness. Lois closed her mouth and nodded, "Yeah he does, well what I've seen from photos." She added after realizing that after this whole Jason fiasco she felt like she knew him just as well as her cousin and Lana did.

Chloe grasped Lana's hand again and asked her, "Are you going to be okay?" Lana looked at her and to her surprise and Lois's as well, smiled unsurely and nodded. "Um, yeah I think I will be. Jason is dead, and so is everything to do with him. It's not Dean Winchester's fault that he looks like my psychotic ex right?" she said although the hesitation in her voice was clear. Lois put an arm around Lana's shoulder as well and smiled carefully, "Yeah. He's not Jason Lana; it's just a guy who looks like him. Apart from their faces they have nothing in common." She pointed. Lana nodded to herself and looked at Chloe before smiling as well. "Yeah, he's just someone who shares the same face not the same personality or the same history." She confirmed. Chloe smiled as well but she asked Lana in a quiet voice, "Are you alright with this Lana?" Lana looked at her softly. "Of course I'm alright with it. He makes you happy Chloe and that's all I really care about. What he looks like shouldn't make any difference if he loves you."

Lois let out her breath and smiled, she hadn't taken it that badly. Chloe still looked hesitant and Lana was staring out of the window lost in her thoughts. She glanced at Chloe and saw her scared face. To be completely honest she wasn't sure how she felt. She wanted to be happy for Chloe; she was actually smiling and laughing but the thought of a Jason look alike was daunting. All those memories flashed in her mind and she wondered what would happen if she met Dean. Lois cleared her throat as quietly as she could and both Chloe and Lana snapped out of their trance. "Maybe we should go downstairs, you know reassure Martha that we haven't been kidnapped from the bedroom and stuff." Lois said smiling at them both. They nodded quickly and the three girls walked downstairs quickly.

Chloe still felt apprehensive of Lana's reaction to Dean when she'd meet him and she almost jumped when Lana put a hand on her shoulder. Lois had quickly walked over to Martha and Clark. Chloe looked up at Lana with surprise and asked, "What's wrong?" Lana looked at her carefully before smiling and saying "Nothing's wrong. That's exactly what I wanted to tell you. Chloe I'm really happy for you, his appearance isn't going to change that okay?" she asked. Chloe felt relief flood her and she nodded without speaking. Even though she used to find Lana annoying at times and she admitted that she had often felt jealous of Clark's love for her, she was her best friend and after Lois, the only other sister she had.

Chloe didn't realize herself how she'd gotten lost in Jason's sweet words when he'd been there. She didn't know what had made her break the values and rules she had set up ages ago. But she had and unknown to Lana right now, she had broken her trust. But Chloe wasn't a coward; she wasn't going to let her sins blend into the old pages of her past life. She wanted to make sure that she was forgiven by Lana before wiping the slate clean. She wanted to start afresh with Dean and without a guilty conscious. She gave a real smile to Lana and said, "Thanks, it really means a lot to me." Lana grinned and followed her downstairs.

Clark looked up at the girls. "So who's this guys I keep hearing about?" he asked Chloe grinning. Chloe smiled, "This guy you keep hearing about is my boyfriend Dean Winchester. He and his brother have been here for a week now." Clark looked like he was about to say something but shook his head. Mrs. Kent was looking at Lana apprehensively and she glanced at Lois questioningly. Lois nodded faintly, "She knows." She said. Mrs. Kent smiled at Lana who had smiled back as if proving she was happy.

Clark frowned and looked at the women surrounding him in turns. "Knows about what? Who knows about what?" he asked. Lois, Chloe and Mrs. Kent looked at each other and Martha cleared her throat. Chloe picked up her handbag and said, "Well, I have to drop something off at the Daily Planet so I'll meet you guys later, I'll see you at home Lana. You're probably tired anyways." She smiled at them and Lana nodded, understandingly. Chloe felt for a moment that she always wore an understanding expression whether the person wanted her to understand or not. Martha asked her to stay longer but Chloe said she had to give the papers in today. Explaining things to Lana had been enough for one day.

She hugged Lana and Clark who asked his mother what they'd been talking about. As she closed the door behind her she heard Lois say indistinctively, "Clark Chloe's boyfriend Dean sort of…….." Chloe let out a sigh as she shut the door, blocking out any voices and walked towards her car wondering how she'd gotten so lucky to have a friend like Lana. She really had understood Chloe's situation and anxiety but Chloe wondered if she'd still be so understanding once she'd find out about the illegitimate relationship she'd had with Jason.

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Dean watched Chloe take another swig out of her coffee like it was alcohol. He loved coffee too (it had been a god send during research) but he couldn't think of anyone who loved coffee, or maybe needed coffee, as much as she did. But seeing as how she'd just come over from the Kent's place, he didn't blame her. As she set her mug down again and sighed (in relief or in despair, he couldn't tell just yet) he smiled nervously. One thing he had learnt about Chloe was that when she was snappy, it was good not to smile too much. "So, how did it go?" he asked tentatively. Chloe pressed her lips together and for a moment he thought she was going to yell at him.

Instead she smiled and grasped his hand across the table. "It actually went more than fine." She answered. He looked at her in disbelief, it had? His face broke out into a smile as well, "So she knows that I look like Jason?" he asked. Chloe nodded, "Yeah, she wasn't sure at first, I thought she was going to freak but she was really happy for me, that I found you." She added softly. His fingers rubbed her knuckles gently. "See, I told you it would be alright." He said staring at her green eyes. She smiled shyly, wondering if she was resembling Lois by doing this and said quietly, "Do you want to meet her tomorrow or the day after? I don't think she'll freak too much, seeing as how she's prepared." Dean thought for a moment and nodded. "You sure she's not going to take it badly?" he asked again. He wasn't sure how he'd handle the situation if she was bawling her eyes out and trying to gauge him with a barber's knife. Chloe smiled and shook her head. "No, I think she's fine with it. Well, she's reassured me that if I'm happy then she is too." She replied. Dean nodded, "Then I'm fine with meeting her but just be there with me in case things get nasty." He said. Chloe grinned.

He looked at her closely and asked after a while, "Did you tell her about you and Jason?" Her face went still and she shook her head vaguely. "When I told her you look exactly like Jason she handled it really well, but I know that somewhere between those understanding words and those easy smiles she had been shocked because she had just started to recover fully from Jason's memories and suddenly I threw this at her. I don't want her to suddenly be thrown into the truth about Jason and me when she's just received this one. I'll introduce you first and when she loosens up around you and feels friendlier towards you, I'll tell her." Chloe said. Dean nodded, "Yeah, we should give her some time to digest all of this."

The door of the Talon opened and Sam stepped in looking around for Dean and Chloe. He made his way towards them and greeted Chloe and Dean. "Hey, I was just at the Kent's place." He revealed as he pulled up a chair. Dean looked at his brother and asked, "What reaction did you get?" Sam shrugged his shoulders and said, "They were fine with me. Even Lana was alright. Mrs. Kent was asking why you hadn't come over but I said you were suffering from a hangover." Dean rolled his eyes, "Gee, thanks Sam, give those guys a lovely impression of me." He commented. Sam grinned, "Hey I just told the truth." Chloe raised her eyebrows looking at Dean with a half accusing and half amused expression. Dean defended himself with, "Hey, I was nervous with you meeting Lana and stuff." Chloe found herself laughing, "I was the one facing her today and you were the one who was so nervous you had to drink?" she asked smiling. He grinned back. "Okay, okay, but I wasn't drunk alright? That's just Sam trying to get some dirt on me." He added giving his brother a stern look.

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Chloe woke up feeling considerably lighter than she had the day at the graveyard. Granted that all her conscience hadn't been cleared, she hadn't told Lana everything and that was the real hurdle she had to cross, but she had told Lana about Dean and Lana had taken it more than well. She got up and could hear her father was awake downstairs. Chloe yawned and quickly found some clothes to get dressed in and went to the bathroom to take a shower. The water felt warm and she sighed with ease.

Today she was hoping to have a relaxed filled day sitting at home with Dean. She wasn't the usual type to spend every waking minute with her boyfriend (she couldn't stand guys invading her personal space by sticking to her like glue) but with Dean, minutes turned to hours and hours could turn to days without feeling like it at all. She knew this was probably a sign of the love which she'd given up on before she'd met him and she was relishing the moments as they went by.

Because Chloe knew that all good things came at a cost and the cost of falling in love with Dean Winchester was that you had to accept that he couldn't stay forever in the same place. It was a combination of if he would and if he could. He couldn't in the first place, the job he and his brother had just didn't allow it and he wouldn't stay because no matter how much he loved her, his mind wouldn't rest at ease until he knew he'd put things right for the humans suffering at the hands of the evil supernatural. Chloe had also accepted during these days that journeying with Dean and Sam on their road tripping job wasn't going to happen.

Both of the boys were set on keeping her in Smallville and her dad was always agreeing. Sam had smiled the day before after another 'talk' about this and had said to Chloe when Dean had just shaken his head and stepped away to talk to her dad, "Chloe, it isn't about whether we want you there or not, of course we do. But we've lost so many loved ones on this job, we can't lose you too. Dean….even I don't know how bad……..what he'll do without you." He struggled trying to explain. Chloe had sighed impatiently. "Sam I can take care of myself." She said firmly. He shook his head. "Yeah but just imagine what would happen to my brother if you ended up dead. He won't handle it, I know, I've lost people who I've cared about because of our job. I've been through the pain and I don't want him to go through the same thing." He said, his eyes turning to the floor.

She had taken a deep breath and said slowly, "How am I ever going to be at rest when I don't know what's happening with you two?" she asked. Sam laughed, "Don't worry, Dean will most likely be calling you every day. In fact every few hours if he's got enough credit." He said grinning. Chloe bit her lip. "What if, what if something happens to him? Sam you'll call me as soon as anything happens to him right?" she asked quickly. He nodded, "Of course I will." Chloe had stared at her father and Dean who were laughing at something. "I can't lose him Sam, I might one day but if it happens he'll be in my arms dying of old age. Not because of an evil force conquering over him." She said defiantly. Sam smiled softly at her and nodded, "I know Chloe, it won't happen." He said.

Chloe turned off the shower and walked back into her room, drying herself and changing into her clothes. When she wandered downstairs, she saw that her father was making breakfast. "You know I'm getting used to waking up and finding someone else making breakfast for me dad." She greeted, pecking him on the cheek. Gabe smiled and slid some eggs and toast on her plate, trying to hold off a fit of coughing. "Well, you're off work so you can enjoy it all you want. After that, I'll probably be gone and you'll be making it yourself." He said sitting down at the dining table as well with his plate. Chloe grinned, "No more jet lag?" she asked. Her father grinned as well, "No, actually I feel like a spring chicken. What have you got planned for today?" Chloe shrugged, "Nothing important, maybe I'll just stay at home and-" she paused as her phone started ringing and she picked it up.

"Hello?" she asked, "Chloe, there's a sale at Renay's" Lois voice claimed loudly over the mall's crowded noises. Chloe took the phone away from her ear and stared at it. What the? "Lois?" she confirmed. "Yeah, what? Come on, you've got to get here fast." Her cousin said quickly. "But, I was planning on." She started. Lois made an impatient noise, "Chloe, Lana's not feeling really happy, and we're taking her through some retail therapy so could we please get to the mall? Tell Dean to hang out with Sam and Clark, they're at the Kent's" Lois said in a slightly lower voice. Chloe had to strain her ears to hear her. Her father looked back curiously and she smiled at him. "Okay, I'll be there just wait a few minutes." She replied before snapping the phone shut.

"A female orientated emergency?" Gabe asked with fiant amusement brimming in his eyes. After raising a girl through adolescence by himself he wasn't unknown to all of this. Chloe grinned sheepishly, "Yeah, I better get going or Lois might get frantic." She explained getting up and taking her jacket from the coat stand. Her father raised his eyebrows. "You and Lois are so alike." He said quietly offering her some toast before she headed for the door. She shook her head. "I know, don't worry, I'll have breakfast while counselling her and Lana." She said turning the toast down. He shrugged and gave her a hug. "Don't spend all day there." He reminded her. She nodded (worrying slightly over the amount of coughing he was doing these days) and walked out of the house wondering what dilemma was going on at the mall.

When she finally got to the mall and saw Lana and Lois both standing outside eyeing Renay's, she rolled her eyes and greeted them cautiously. Lois grinned but glanced pointedly at Lana while Chloe asked her what happened. Lana didn't look so happy. "What's wrong Lana?" she asked. Lana looked at her and sighed tiredly. "I don't know what's wrong with me, actually I don't know what's wrong with Clark." She said turning around to stalk towards Renay's. Lois and Chloe walked quickly beside. "What did he do?" Lois asked. Lana looked at both of them. "It's not about anything he did; it's about what he never does. I mean, we went to Paris together right?" The other two girls nodded. "You'd think that even though we went to make sure none of the leads on the crystals were true, we'd move ahead. That he'd say something to me. But it's like I get knocked back every time he let's something out." She revealed.

Chloe nodded in agreement. It's not like he hadn't done this before. Lois put a hand on Lana's shoulder. "I know what you're talking about. Once I went out with a guy named Andrew Peterson. He never knew what he wanted. One minute he'd tell me that he loves me and the next he'd be acting like we were just friends. Some guys are like that Lana." She offered. Lana sighed again after they smiled at the shop assistant and looked through some tops in a rack. "Yeah, but it's been happening for too long. In Paris he was so sweet and I thought he was finally going to tell me how he felt for sure. But then he'd say the most random things at the most romantic times." She said. Chloe asked, "What do you mean?" Lana turned to her. "Like we were at the Eiffel Tower and the tour guide was going on about how romantic the place was. And Clark looked at me so softly like he was going to say something." Lois edged forward. "Did he?" she asked tentatively.

Lana frowned. "Yeah he did, 'Do you want a hotdog?' That's what he said." She told the girls who raised the eyebrows and let out a low whistle. Chloe put an arm around Lana's shoulder. "Don't worry Lana, guys are like that. They never know what they want." She said as they decided to scour another shop. Renay's didn't have anything they liked. They entered a shop called Glamour and Lana grumbled about how she wished Clark would be clearer in his intentions. Lois and Chloe decided to nod in agreement. Disagreeing might not be appropriate. "Yeah he acts really messed up sometimes." Lois added. Lana wrinkled her nose in distaste at a mauve coloured mini skirt. "Sometimes? You know ever since I've met Clark Kent I've always felt that he's been keeping me in the dark about something." She said pulling out a dressy top.

Chloe thought guiltily about how she knew the secret Lana so desperately wanted to know. "Maybe it's something he's too shy to talk about." She said hopefully. Lois rolled her eyes, "Chloe, the guy's known Lana since forever, you'd think he'd have gotten over being shy by know." She said. Chloe grinned sheepishly. Lana however looked dubious, "Maybe……..you don't think he's sprouting an extra toe or something do you?" she asked. Lois and Chloe both looked at her in disbelief. Lana noticed the shop assistant staring at her too. Apparently eavesdropping in customer conversation seemed to be part of their customer service. The shop assistant quickly looked away when she received stern glares from the three girls. Unless she had an answer for the problem Lana was facing she wasn't welcome to this conversation.

They resumed looking through the racks and Chloe said, "Look maybe he's unsure about something?" Lois eyed a red woollen short dress and grazed her eyes over it for the size. "But if he was so unsure why doesn't he ask me? Why doesn't he talk to me about it? And you know sometimes he just disappears. I'll be talking to him and the next moment I turn around and he's not there." Lana exclaimed as Lois entered a changing cubicle to try the dress on. Chloe nodded solemnly. Lois's voice came out muffled as she called, "You know I've noticed it too. He disappears sometimes; it's a bit freaky and rude if you're talking about something important." Lana nodded in agreement and she was glad she had the two to there to talk to.

Lois came out looking really good in the dress. Chloe and Lois showered their approval and she took the dress to the counter. Lana and Chloe followed. Chloe tried taking another chance at defending Clark (he did have legitimate reasons for acting so weird to Lana, except making the comment about hotdogs) "Actually I could understand why he's so secretive. I mean after all this stuff with the Luthors and the farm and everything." She explained gently as they walked out to the crowded floor. Both Lois and Lana's faces softened at this. They couldn't deny that. "Want to grab some breakfast? I'm starving." She added indifferently. Lois nodded, "Yeah I didn't have breakfast." They took the elevators down to the food court and found a muffin store. After buying coffee and muffins, the girls sat down and continued their conversation.

"I know that he's been through all these twisted things but does he really think I won't understand? I mean it's not like I've led a normal life either." Lana reasoned. Chloe nodded, it was true, and Lana had had her fair share of twisted weirdness as well. Lois nodded in agreement as well. After swallowing her muffin piece she said, "Guys always think we can't handle any secrets they have." Lana agreed, "Yeah, I mean, I don't mind if a guy has a few secrets and stuff but when they start affecting other people then it's a good idea to share whatever it is you're hiding." She explained. Chloe smiled, "Yeah but sometimes guys don't tell us things because they know we'll over react or never let them hear the end of it."

"Yeah but still guys shouldn't keep secrets that eat them up inside. If they tell someone they care about, they can help." Lois said thinking about Sam. Chloe looked at her and understood what she meant. Lana looked away, slightly lost in her thoughts and Chloe sighed, "Don't worry Lana, he'll tell you whatever it is he's hiding. He has to if he wants to be with you." She said patting her gently on the back. Lana sighed as well, "I don't like people keeping things from me. I hate people who I care about lying to me, because then I begin to doubt everything they say. I mean who knows if the next words coming out of their mouths is true after they've been lying to me." She said quietly.

Chloe's mouth went dry. If this was what Lana thought now, then what would she say when she'd find out about Jason? She glanced at Lois who looked back at her uncomfortably. Lana looked at them both and grinned, "I'm sorry guys, we're supposed to be shopping and I'm boring you with my problems which have been ongoing anyways since I met Clark." She apologized. Lois frowned at her, "Don't be stupid, we're supposed to be listening, and shopping is a form of therapy." She pointed out. Chloe smiled at her and realized her phone was ringing. She was surprised to see that it was Dean who was calling and she answered it quickly. "Hello, Dean?" she asked.

"Hey where are you guys?" he asked. She smiled and noticed Lois smirking at her knowingly while Lana looked on with curiosity. Chloe grinned at his restless tone and said, "We're at the mall." Dean gasped and said mockingly, "And our quality time?" he asked. Chloe laughed, "Sorry but I couldn't resist the sales on here. I'm with Lois and Lana." She added. She heard a pause on the other end and wondered absently if she was hearing the voices of Clark and Sam in the background. "Oh, well, me and the guys are coming. Do you think it's alright?" he asked. Chloe glanced at Lana. "Wait I'll ask her and call you back." She said quietly. It was like she could see Dean nodding because a minute later he said, "Yeah of course. Just don't be too long. I think Sam's made a new best friend." He muttered. Chloe stifled a laugh and said bye before hanging up and looking at the girls.

"That was Dean." She said unnecessarily. Lois smirked again and nodded. Chloe looked at Lana and asked, "Um, Dean was thinking of coming here. Is that alright?" she watched Lana's face for any reaction. But Lana looked passive although Chloe felt that it was a mask to hide something else. "No, I'm fine. I told you I don't mind that he looks like Jason, he makes you happy. And anyways I'm bound to meet him anyway, might as well be today." She said shrugging her shoulders. Chloe looked at Lois who had also been watching Lana. She glanced at Chloe and nodded. Chloe smiled and said, "Well, I'll call him then. I'll tell him to meet us here." She dialled Dean's number and he answered it instantly, making Chloe smile to herself.

"Yeah?" he asked. Chloe grinned and said, "You guys can come over. We're at the food court." Dean said, "Good, we're in the car park." She smiled and hung up. While the girls waited, they talked about Lana's trip. After a while Lois said, "I think they're here." She pointed to the escalators and Chloe and Lana looked up to see Dean, Clark and Sam travelling up the escalators talking animatedly about something. Lana's eyes went wide when she saw Dean and gripped the chair beneath her tightly. Chloe had told her that Dean looked exactly like Jason but she could now see how exactly alike they looked. He had the same eyes, the same mouth, and the same hair. The exact same face which had haunted her even after everything that had happened. Lois glanced at her quickly but she threw Lois a smile although it didn't cover her shocked expression. Dean was also looking at the girls and he recognized Lana by the shocked expression on her face. Well that and the fact that Chloe had pointed her out in the albums she had.

The girl looked pretty shaken up and he was beginning to doubt that she was alright about him looking exactly like her psychotic ex. But he had gotten used to getting shocked looks from the people who had known Jason. In fact when he'd first met Clark, he'd nearly been killed seeing as how Clark had tried ramming him into the barn wall. Dean guessed it wasn't his fault seeing as how Jason did have a reputation but it still didn't stop him from trying to punch Clark back. But that hadn't worked out so well, because his punch didn't even seem to register on Clark's body. And after staring at Clark for a minute and Clark staring at him (in shock and/or anger, he wasn't sure but he was sure staring at him in amazement) Sam had pushed them apart, giving Clark the chance to ask who he was and what he was doing here.

"I'm Dean, who the hell are you?" he had asked back. Clark had frowned but nodded when he remembered Dean was Chloe's boyfriend. Dean hated being studied like he was an experiment gone wrong or something and that was exactly what Clark was doing now. Of course Clark's mother had told him that Dean looked like Jason but the fact that they had the exact same face was something that Clark hadn't thought of. "Clark this is my brother Dean. Dean this is Clark, Chloe's friend." His brother introduced. Clark looked back at Dean with an apologetic look creeping in his eyes, "Hey, sorry Dean, it's just you look just like a guy I knew." He said slowly. Dean resisted rolling his eyes with great willpower. "Yeah, I've heard. It's alright, just try not to pounce on me again alright? I mean it feels like a ton of bricks or something" Dean replied gruffly rubbing his arm where Clark had been pinning him to the wall with.

After a few uncomfortable hours, the boys started loosening up around each other, well Dean and Clark did seeing as how Sam seemed to be doing well with socializing with Clark, and Dean started to even joke around with Clark. Clark had been telling Dean and Sam about how he'd just come back from Paris with his girlfriend well he thought she was his girlfriend. "What do you mean you think she's your girlfriend?" Dean had said incredulously. Clark had turned a shade pink and he said not to worry. Sam and Dean looked at each other and shrugged. "Hey, Clark where's Lois?" Sam asked.

"Oh, I think she's out with Lana and Chloe at the mall. I don't know for sure, Lana was in a hurry so she wasn't too descriptive of where she was going when I called her." He replied. Dean called Chloe and when he found out she was at the mall, decided to get there as well. There wasn't anything else to do seeing as how Sam and Clark had moved onto the exciting topic of rocks and minerals. Dean didn't bother hiding his bored look and when he suggested they go to the mall as well, the other two had agreed continuing their conversation in the car.

As they got off the escalator Chloe hugged him tightly and he gave her a quick, longing kiss. "Someone's been missing me." She said, smirking when he let go. "Hell, yeah. I don't think we've spent this much time away from each other since we've been together." He said. She smiled and he added, "And those two were boring me a lot." He added motioning towards Sam and Clark. Clark was talking with Lana and Chloe felt it might be about Dean. Chloe asked the guys if they wanted something to eat. "Yes please, haven't had anything to eat since I woke up." Dean said sitting himself down next to Chloe and opposite Lana who was still staring at him.

"Hey, I'm Dean Winchester." He said putting his hand out. She smiled nervously and shook his hand shaking slightly. "Um hi, Lana." She said quietly. Her eyes flickered to Clark and he squeezed her shoulder. Even though this was a tense moment although Dean refused to treat it like one, which she was grateful for; Lois couldn't help noticing that even though they had been rampaging about Clark and his secrecy just a few minutes ago, Lana looked like she needed him at this moment. Lois looked at Sam and he gave a quiet nod. "Chloe's told me heaps about you." Dean said quickly.

Lana smiled, "Yeah, she's told me a bit about you too." He raised his eyebrows and glanced at Chloe before looking back at Lana, "Only a bit?" he asked. Everyone laughed and Lois said, "Dean we just need to hear a bit about you to know exactly what you're like." He grinned at Lana's embarrassed face and said, "Hey, lighten up, I'm just kidding. Chloe hasn't said much about you either, you know she's always talking about herself." He joked. Lana laughed and Chloe smiled before lightly whacking Dean's arm. "So you guys are brothers?" Lana asked looking at both Sam and Dean. Sam looked over at Dean, "Unfortunately." He said grinning. Dean smirked, "For me." She smiled. This guy was really nice. She glanced at Chloe and smiled at her; she could tell why Chloe was always smiling these days.

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The next night everyone was crowded into Martha's kitchen where they were having dinner. Martha smiled realizing that she'd never had the kitchen this full before. She mentioned this to Clark as she handed him a roast chicken to put on the table. Clark smiled, "Yeah, it's never been this noisy either." He said grinning as he watched Lois and Dean debating music as Mr. Sullivan as their judge. Dean who had never debated in his school life was really good at rebutting Lois although Sam pointed out that he was doing it while Lois was speaking. Chloe was laughing and even Lana couldn't stop herself from bursting out into giggles when Dean banged his fist on the dining table and exclaimed that the Backstreet boys were a bunch of pansies with retarded haircuts.

"Dean. As much as I'm enjoying this, we need a table to eat on for dinner." Martha called from the kitchen oven. "Sorry Mrs. Kent." He called. Clark and Martha grinned at each other. Clark had been a bit hesitant with Dean at first because he could vividly remember all the hurt Jason had given Lana. But after a while he realized Dean was completely different to Jason, their personalities were at opposite ends. And he noticed that Chloe was back to her old self which was good because he'd started to worry about Chloe's pallid and quiet face before the trip. With Dean she looked the happiest he'd ever seen her.

They laughed and talked throughout dinner while Dean and Lois ended their debate (Gabe couldn't decide who was right and said so, even though Chloe reminded him that he had to choose) "I don't want to get on the bad side of either of them." He answered mildly, smiling. She grinned and watched Lana and Clark quietly walk out into the front porch. She smiled; Lana had become friends with Dean just like Clark and everyone else. It seemed like everyone had forgotten that Dean looked like Jason and she was happy to be in such a relaxed atmosphere for once.

Dean glanced at her and winked, "I am such a crowd pleaser." He stated. She laughed and put her arm around his, "I know, and thankyou for winning everyone over." She whispered letting her head drop onto his shoulder. He kissed her hand and glanced around the table. "Where are Lana and Clark? They don't strike me as the lets elope and rebel type" he said grinning. Chloe rolled her eyes. Dean had found out about Clark's good boy status and Lana's matching personality and he loved making fun of it. "They're on the porch. I think they're talking about stuff." She explained. Dean looked out the window at the two talking, "What's with those two anyways? Are they going out or what?" he asked casually.

Chloe opened her mouth and then shut it again. "Um, they're an off again on again couple. I mean Clark's always loved her but Lana hates the way he's so secretive and stuff. So they get into serious problems there. But they'll make it through, they're meant to be with each other." She concluded. Dean looked back at them and nodded. "Interesting."

Meanwhile Lana and Clark were leaning against the porch railings talking quietly. "You're alright with this aren't you?" Clark asked Lana as he motioned towards Dean inside. Lana glanced inside as well and smiled. "Look at Chloe, she looks so happy; it's so hard not to be alright with it." She remarked as she saw Chloe lean towards Dean's shoulder with a dreamy look on her face. Clark grinned. "Yeah she does…….remember how quiet and pale she looked before we left?" he added his smile loosening. Lana nodded, "Yeah, she was so distraught. I mean even her work was suffering at the Daily Planet. Now she's so alive and just the way she used to be. But……" Lana stared at Chloe but shook her head.

Clark frowned, "What's wrong?" he asked. Lana looked back at him. "I don't know, sometimes it feels like Chloe's still worried about something, like she's hiding something from me." She said quietly. Clark smiled at her, "Why would she hide anything from you?" he asked gently putting an arm around her shoulders. She shrugged and held his hand in hers. "I don't know, maybe she's still worried about Dean. Even though I've told her that I don't care that he looks like Jason. He's completely different but I don't know, sometimes it feels like she's on the verge of telling me something and then she backs out. I wish I knew what she wanted to tell me." Lana said wondering what Chloe kept trying to get out.

Clark thought about this too but hugged her and when they pulled apart said, "Look, if it was anything big, she'd tell you. You and Lois are her best friends, if she wouldn't tell you then who? Maybe she just needs time." He smiled at her gently. She looked at his green eyes and smiled back. Clark always had a way of making things **sound easy** but also had a way of **making things complicated**. "You're probably right. I'm going inside; it's getting cold out here. You coming?" she asked holding the door open. Clark looked out at the dark sky. He hadn't had a moment to himself for a long time. "You go on, I'm going to stay out for a while." He said. She nodded and closed the door behind her.

After a while Chloe came outside and Clark grinned at her. "Hey Chloe." He greeted. Chloe smiled and stood next to him on the porch railing. "Hey Clark, what are you doing here in the cold?" she asked. He smiled as he let his eyes scour the endless sky. "Nothing just watching the stars and stuff." He answered. Chloe nodded understandingly. Clark scouring the skies for any sign of his past life wouldn't be so surprising. "So, what's Dean doing right now?" Clark asked. Chloe grinned, "He's enlightening everyone with his hilarious jokes." She told him, her smile widening as she turned to look at her boyfriend's figure in the lounge room. Clark followed her eyes and couldn't help grinning as well when he saw Dean attempting to slow dance with his mother.

Clark watched Chloe's face for a while. Lana seemed right, Chloe looked the happiest he'd ever seen her but he glimpsed the shade of worry underneath her eyes and he wondered what she was worried about. "What's wrong Chloe?" he asked. Chloe's eyes snapped back to him. "What? Nothing…..why are you asking Clark?" she asked back. He gazed at her steadily, and she didn't like it. She'd seen him study many other people like that before and usually he knew something about them by the end. He smiled at her easily and she relaxed. "You know that Lana's fine with Dean, right? We all are." He said firmly.

Chloe let a laugh escape her lips. "And you ramming my boyfriend into the barn walls is a sure sign you're alright with him yeah?" she asked remembering Dean's slightly over exaggerated recount of his first meeting with Clark Kent. Clark blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah……that was an over reaction." He mumbled. She laughed again and said, "It's alright Clark. Everyone who knew Jason can't help getting freaked out when they first meet Dean." She admitted. Clark nodded and looked back inside. "Do you think Lois and Sam are serious?" he asked. Chloe looked at him with a grin. "Yeah, they are. I've never seen Lois so in love with a guy before." She claimed. Clark laughed, "Good maybe now she'll be too preoccupied to fight with me." Chloe smiled, "Well, she's got someone else to fight with. I'm sure you've noticed Lois and Dean don't share the same taste in music……apart from many other things." She added. Clark nodded chuckling, "Yeah I noticed that today."

He looked at Chloe again seriously. "But if there is something you want to tell me Chloe, you can tell me." He reassured. Chloe managed a quick smile. "Trust me if there was something to tell you guys, you'd be the first two to know." She answered. Clark smiled at her and glanced at the sky again. "I'm getting cold too, I'll see you back inside." He said walking towards the door. Chloe turned and for a moment he thought she wanted to say something but she just smiled and nodded.

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Dean hurriedly gave Gabe a glass of water as he saw the older man cough violently for the second time that morning. Chloe stood at the kitchen counter with a worried expression. She didn't like the way her dad seemed to look sicker every time she saw him. He was getting old, sure but the way his face was wrinkling and losing colour was making her head turn to possible explanations. Explanations that she didn't like. And her father wouldn't even listen to her suggestions of going to the doctor's. Now she couldn't stand it and she strode over to a worried looking Dean and a still coughing Gabe.

"Dad, that's it, we're going to the doctor's to get you checked out." She said sternly. Her face was serious and she looked angry. Dean met her gaze and she let out a sigh. He looked at Gabe and nodded, "Yeah, Mr. Sullivan you don't sound that good." He commented. Gabe looked at both of them and shook his head. He tried holding in another quiet cough but couldn't and his daughter glared at him again. "No, I'm fine. It's just old age, I'll get over it." He replied. Chloe made an impatient noise and turned him to her. "Dad, don't even try telling me this is just old age. You can't spend ten minutes without coughing. I can tell just by looking at your face that you're seriously sick and I'm not going to sit here an listen to you tell me you're fine when I know you're not." She said grabbing her purse. Dean pulled his keys from the counter and located his jacket.

Gabe shook his head, "No, I'm not going Chloe. It's something I've lived with for awhile and I can live with it for a few years more. If this is a sickness then I'm not going to the lab coats to hear that I'm sick." Just as long as I don't do anything too physical, I'm fine." He muttered indignation. Dean didn't know why he was so adamant about not going but he agreed with Chloe on this. Gabe Sullivan looked and sounded sick and Dean knew he had to see a doctor. "Sir, I think you should see a doctor." He said putting a hand on Gabe's shoulder. Gabe shrugged his shoulders and gave Dean an annoyed look. "So now I'll be listening to you?" he snapped. Chloe's eyes narrowed and Dean shut his mouth instantly. Gabe regretted his words immediately and he sunk down on a chair. "I'm sorry Dean, shouldn't have snapped at you……But I'm not going to the doctor's." he affirmed.

Chloe opened her mouth to retort back angrily but Dean shook his head quietly. Right now Gabe seemed almost as stubborn as John himself and trying to explain anything would be like reasoning with a brick wall. Gabe looked up to see his daughter grit her teeth and stalk off up the stairs. He sighed and called after her but she didn't or wouldn't listen and responded by slamming her door shut. He glanced at Dean who was looking up at the stairs.

Dean turned around and when he saw Gabe's eyes filled with sadness and a silent apology he smiled at him carefully and jerked his head towards Chloe's room. "Don't worry about her sir; I'll see if she's alright. She gets mad pretty easily but she'll come around." He muttered. Gabe sighed and coughed again. He held up a hand when Dean stepped towards him and leaned back after taking a sip of water. "Sounds just like someone else I knew." He muttered nodding at Dean to go after his daughter. Dean quickly walked up the stairs and when he knocked on the door Chloe opened it instantly. Her face was still heated but when she saw him she smiled hesitantly and let him in.

He sat down on her bed and watched as she paced around the room annoyed at her father's stubborn refusal to go to the doctor's. "You know maybe he's just……." Dean trailed off trying to think of something but couldn't think why you'd be scared of going to the doctor's. Chloe looked at him, "He's just? Just being a stubborn mule?" she asked continuing her pacing. Dean grinned slightly, "Aw, don't act like you haven't been that stubborn sometimes." He reminded her. Chloe grinned but it faded quickly and she sat shook her head. "Dean you've seen him right? Even you can tell that something's not right, that he needs medical help. But he won't listen to me and there's nobody else left to nag him into taking care of himself!" she said loudly.

Dean got up and placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her from pacing anymore. His green eyes found her worried and infuriated ones and a sense of calm filled her as she stared into his eyes. "Look, some people don't want to face what they might already sense. Maybe he's scared of being told it's something serious, which it isn't hopefully, but he's got to get it checked out." He replied. Chloe nodded quietly and sat down with Dean on the edge of her bed.

"Dean, my dad's the only one I have left. I never had mom, I've never had brothers and sister. I mean Lana and Lois are as good as sisters to me but after I tell Lana the truth I doubt she'll want to even share our friendship let alone a sisterly connection. And Lois is always there for me, we love each other and she'd never let me feel alone but I still need my father. He's the one who's nurtured me, who brought me up…..he's the one who sent me to school every day, the one who understands me no matter what's happened, he's the one who's been both a mother and a father. I don't want to see him sick and suffering; he all I have left now. You know sometimes I don't see my dad for weeks on end or maybe even a couple of months but at least I have this feeling that if I call him and tell him I want him home, he'll come over straight away. If he finds out I'm sick or hurt he'll cancel whatever he has and he'll be there by my bed taking care of me and checking if I have everything i need or want. I don't want to lose that." She said her voice thickening and her eyes moistening. She didn't want to cry but the thought of her dad not being with her through her life hurt her more than anything.

Dean shook his head faintly and pulled her into his arms, where she took a few deep breaths and rubbed her eyes. "You won't lose him Chloe, and you'll never be alone. I won't let that happen." He said kissing her on the forehead. Chloe smiled and looked up at him. "I know you never want to leave me alone but you will have to eventually." She reminded him. He looked at her carefully and wondered how he had ended up with the understanding girlfriend. Usually it was Sam who wound up with a girlfriend who didn't nag him to stay when he left for a hunt. Dean marvelled at the emotional integrity Chloe possessed and he stroked his finger along her cheekbone lovingly. "I don't want to leave you alone. I mean see what happened when you weren't with me the other day? I couldn't stand even 2 hours without seeing you. But hunting...it's just something that's in me. I can't leave it." He admitted.

Chloe laughed and he looked at her in surprise. She grinned and took his hand in hers. "Trust me Dean, if you ever gave up hunting, I'd hit you on the head with a hammer. I told you before; I don't want you to stop hunting just because you love me too much to be away from me. Innocent people need you and there's no way I'd let myself stand in the way. So in the end if something happened to dad then I'd have to be alone because you'd be on the road. Maybe that's why I'm so scared; because the only person left would be gone as well." She said softly.

Dean bit his lip and wondered what ate him up so much. He'd been able to leave behind the ones he loved behind (no matter how big a rock he'd have to place on his heart for it). But when it came to Chloe, he'd been taking her for granted these few days he'd been with her. Dean was amazed at himself because for once **he** was the one who was begging for a shot at a normal life…….a life where he'd be with Chloe and they'd be a happy family together (he also couldn't believe **he** was saying something as cheesy as **happy family**). And now he didn't know what to say to this miracle who was accepting the fact that he wouldn't be there to ease her loneliness when she needed him. Chloe was so good at making him feel so guilty that he was left speechless.

Chloe sighed and ran her hands through his hair. "Dean Winchester, I'm not going to break down because the oh-so-hot Dean won't be with me for a few weeks or a few months because I'm not anything like the other girls who've tried clinging onto you before. You have, unfortunately, fallen in love with Chloe Sullivan and she doesn't 'cling' to anyone." She lied mischievously. Dean smirked, "Except me." He pointed out with an air of smugness. Chloe rolled her eyes and waved his comment away.

She stared at the door and looked back at Dean nervously. "You don't think I said too much, did I? I wasn't too harsh on him?" she asked starting to doubt the tone and anger she had used on her father. Dean let a slow grin appear on his face and said, "No, well, maybe the whole slamming the door when he looked so sad wasn't really comforting of you, especially since he'd just gotten over a coughing fit and would have been expecting some sort of sympathy." He said truthfully. Chloe closed her eyes and scolded herself for not taking a softer approach. Although her dad was tamer than she'd ever be, his stubborn streak seemed to have been the only trait she'd possessed. Chloe got up and smiled at Dean embarrassingly. "Guess I should apologize now right?" she confirmed. Dean smiled at her and got up as well. "Yeah, it helps sometimes. Especially if it's family." He added as she opened the door.

He followed her to the stairs but stopped at the top while she continued down. She looked back but when he didn't follow she understood and her smile grew wider. She loved how he understood every emotion and situation, just that he didn't always comply when it was over petty things. He stood at the top peering down at what he could see of Gabe Sullivan who had his head leaning against the sofa, looking up at the ceiling. According to Sam, Dean's sensitivity was limited to a quick pat on the back followed by a temptation of beer but Dean realized with amusement that he understood that this was a daughter and father moment, a family thing, which he should keep out of for now and he made a mental note to throw this back at Sam the next time he started whingeing about Dean's sensitivity levels.

He heard Chloe's softer voice say, "Dad?" and he heard Gabe grunt slightly as he lifted his head. "Oh, Chloe, look I'm sorry sweet heart." He mumbled. He heard Chloe's voice grow softer this time and he was sure they were probably hugging or exchanging apologies. He toyed around with the chain on his neck and lost himself in a line of heavy thinking. He pulled out of it later when he realized Chloe and her dad were laughing quietly (although in the quiet house, it rang out) and he smiled to himself wondering how they could possibly stay mad with each other. He heard Gabe's low voice in his direction saying, "That Winchester sure does wonders on my little girl, she's apologizing to her old dad. I'll have to thank him for that later." Dean grinned and he heard Chloe say, "Dad! I've always been your good little girl." Gabe laughed pleasantly and after a few minutes Dean walked downstairs.

Gabe smiled at him widely as his heavy boots thudded down the thick carpeted stairs and Chloe beamed at him. He raised his eyebrows, "I don't know about you guys but I feel like I need a coffee round now." He said quickly. Chloe smiled at him and hugged him quickly before glancing at both of them, "I'll make the coffee, you boys can put on something good to watch on TV." As Gabe and Dean sat down on the sofa and flicked to the wrestling channel, Chloe called from the kitchen, "Something which doesn't include men and sports." Both Gabe and Dean groaned with disapproval and heard Chloe laugh. As Dean flicked through channels, Gabe turned towards him. "Thanks for bringing a smile to her lips." He said placing a hand on Dean's shoulder. Dean smiled at him, "It's what I'm here for." He replied truthfully. They nestled back into their places, talking about sports and cars until Chloe came in and voiced her disapproval on the mechanic engineering show. Dean protested heavily, "You didn't say anything about cars!"

**Hey ppl, omg. Talk about stretching it out. I know you probably curse me for updating once every million years and stuff but what can i do, sometimes I'm just soo tired and sometimes my family's so not cooperative with my need for writing. But the good thing is that the end is near. Lol I mean, the pinnacle of my story is in the next chapter and after that there won't be any more chapters, I hope, lol. But seriously, I'm hoping to finish it off in the next chapter or at the most, the one after that (but it won't be too long) so I can concentrate on my other story as well. What do you guys think about this chapter? Please review, it helps a lot. Thanks ppl, bye.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Nobody Knows This Secret**

_Hey ppl this is my first sn/sv fanfic so I hope you like it. I always wondered what it would have been like if Chloe and Jason had been together instead of Jason and Lana. But Im still hoping for a dean/chloe crossover episode. I don't own anything from smallville or supernatural, none of the characters, places etc. I __**wish**__ I owned the Winchester boys. Im just building a story here. Enjoy and plz plz plz review. Thanks_

**Chapter Nine**

A few more days had passed by and Dean and Sam had fitted in perfectly with the residents at Smallville. They were regulars at the Talon and the local mechanic had even offered Dean a job at his garage. "Judging by the way you handle cars, you'd be pretty good for this place." The manager of the garage had said one day. Dean had grinned and said he'd think about it. He seriously had, could he have a job as a mechanic? What if he stayed? No…Dean would never be able to stay. His heart lay in hunting and he'd never be able to stay in one place.

Sam was the happiest Dean had ever seen him and for the longest time as well. They were pretty content with the way things were going now but knew that as Chloe's decision to tell Lana about the affair came closer, so did their deadline for their stay.

So they were making the most of their stay and Dean had agreed on taking the short apprenticeship Mickey's had offered him. But it was just temporary; he'd made sure Mickey had understood that. Mickey had grinned, "Fine by me Dean, just work your magic on the cars like you do." He had replied patting Dean on the back.

Chloe had returned to work, making her meetings with Dean more precious when he dropped by or when she decided to pay a greasy Dean a visit at the garage. Even people at work had noticed her easier mood and when they met Dean (he had visited her the day she had returned to work) a few of the girls had eyed him for a while.

Her boss Perry had observed, "You're definitely more patient now Chloe." Chloe had also started researching more and more about the supernatural stuff she heard about from Sam and Dean regularly. It amazed her at how much she hadn't known about all the supernatural things Dean and Sam hunted. Lois had also sat down with her and they had spent hours sometimes looking up vampires and Djinns.

She was still worried about Gabe. A few days earlier he'd flown to Seattle for an important meeting and when he'd come back to Smallville he'd suffered from another coughing attack. What angered Chloe more was that he hadn't even told her. She'd found out accidentally by his assistant Mallory who'd told her during a quick conversation she'd had at the office.

Chloe, Dean and even Lois had all tried to convince Gabe to show the doctors his coughing problem but he remained adamant about not going. This had resulted in of course, many small fights and a stormy Chloe but Dean managed to calm her down and by the end she'd be pushing the matter back down.

Dean meanwhile had become friends with Clark, who seemed like a puzzle to him. There was something about him, apart from his complicated love life and angel boy status, that intrigued Dean and he was always trying to figure out what it was. "You're not with the FBI are you?" he had asked once during a fishing trip Clark had insisted he come along to. Clark had laughed, "No, why?" Dean had just shrugged, "Something about you…" he had trailed off. Sam noticed the uncomfortable look pass Clark's face.

Clark Kent was weird all right but Dean admitted he was a good guy. Chloe had told him about a lot of heroic things Clark had done for the town and Dean believed her. A shiny black Mercedes, which had been rushing through the traffic, had nearly run him over during his lunch break and it had been Clark who had pushed him aside faster than Dean could have moved himself. "Whoa! What was that?" he had yelled in surprise his eyes narrowing. Clark who had been staring at the disappearing car shook his head slowly. "That was Lionel Luthor…or Lex Luthor. I don't know which ones worse." He had replied as Dean straightened his jacket and cursed under his breath.

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A few days later Chloe, Dean and Sam were cleaning out Chloe's basement. Dean had tried to get out of it with as many excuses he could remember but none had worked. "There are no werewolves currently in Smallville Dean so don't even think about it." Chloe had said smirking as she watched Dean's mouth open for another try. His mocked crestfallen look just made her smile more as he said, "I wasn't going to say anything about werewolves…I was gonna say vampires."

They came across a lot of things Chloe had forgotten she'd had. Sam sorted out the old books and photos albums while Dean went through the forgotten family rubbish. Chloe sorted through the old clothes she and her father had thrown down in the basement when they had been torn between emotional attachment and an updated fashion sense (well Chloe's updated fashion sense; her father was still in the early 80's).

She smiled at the dress she'd owned when she was a little girl. Her father had reluctantly put it away when Chloe had grown a few inches too tall for it but hadn't thrown it away. It had at some point, belonged to her mother and Chloe treasured it.

Sam grinned at Chloe's old schoolbooks and old family albums. He could see why Chloe had such an inquisitive nature; there were books based on everything he could think of here. Law, palmistry, physics, the human body, animals, journalism, media, scientists, religion, countries and culture…he sighed as he put all the books in a neat pile and glanced at Chloe. "You and your dad were really into reading." He commented as Dean edged over to have a look at the books.

Chloe smiled, "Yeah, dad didn't want me to miss out on anything and the best way to make sure I knew everything was to make me read as much as I could. It helped my journalism skills a lot." She admitted as she watched Dean flick through 'Our Body'. He grinned widely as he stopped at a page and looked at her and Sam. "Hey guys look." He held up the open book and showed them a page displaying the human testicle. Sam and Chloe looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Dean shrugged lightly, "Hey I'm showing Sam what he lacks." Sam gave him a look and contemplated throwing the heavy black leather book he was holding, at his head.

Just as he held the book up in to fling it Dean's head, Chloe yelled, "No Sam." Sam looked at her in surprise; Chloe usually didn't mind Sam and Dean having a go at each other. Dean grinned at her, "See that, your attempted affliction is making her feel my pain." He said in a smug voice. Chloe made an impatient noise and said quickly, "It's not you Dean, that's my diary. Oh my god, I haven't seen it in ages." She said in a softer tone taking the book from Sam's hands.

She'd kept the diary until Jason had died. It was a heavy, black, leather clad book, which her dad had given her for her 17th birthday. All her dreams, hopes and secrets were in it and she was surprised to find it here in the basement where their forgotten stuff usually was. Dean looked at her taken aback. "You keep a diary?" he asked. He'd ruled out Chloe as the type who kept diaries a long time ago, in fact when they'd first started dating. She came across, as such a strong person he didn't think she'd ever needed one.

Chloe looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, I've had this dairy since I was seventeen. That's why it's so thick. But I totally forgot about it, I didn't even know it was here." She said amazed at the find. Sam smiled, "Well at least you found something that's not rubbish here." He said looking around at the junk in the room. She looked around as well and nodded. Dean smiled as well but looked back at her, "Why's it here if it's so special? I thought you would've kept writing in it." He asked.

Chloe, who had started flicking through her old diary, tore her eyes away from the depressing entry she'd submitted and looked back at Dean seriously. "There wasn't anything to write about. Everything was so messed up that even putting it on paper made it even more complicating. And diaries are supposed to be kept everyday…I didn't have enough time for it when I started work at the Daily Planet." She said. They looked at each other silently and she felt Dean's comforting gaze ease her.

Sam waited for a few seconds when he realized she was probably referring to the time Jason was still alive. He almost grinned at they way his brother and Chloe looked at each other and made a mental note to tease Dean about it when he could. He cleared his throat and pointed at the stuff lying around them. "Okay, what do we do with all this?" he asked. Chloe grinned and said, "I guess we have to get back to work." Dean heaved, "Yeah, work!" he said sarcastically.

During the afternoon, the three had quite a few visitors while they cleaned the basement up. Lois dropped in quickly to supervise Dean and Sam pull an old sofa out to the front yard. Dean scowled at her, "Why can't you help?" he asked after she came out of the house with a bowl of ice cream. "I'd love to but I'm working." She reminded him. He eyed the ice cream bowl and said, "Yeah I can see that." "What, it's my lunch break." She pointed out. Sam smirked at her and she grinned, "Anyways Clark might stop by later, you can ask him for help."

Sam looked back at her dubiously, "He's not working is he?" he asked. Lois shook her head, "Nope." She said simply before giving Sam a kiss good bye and driving away in her car. As Lois had claimed, Clark did stop by and was taken aback by the glare he received by Dean. "I didn't do anything." He said quickly. Dean kept his glare, "You're only welcome here if you're here to help us." He said as he heaved a pile of old newspapers on the sidewalk.

Clark smiled apologetically but said, "I can't…I've got really important stuff to do." He declared. Sam and Dean exchanged glances. "Yeah sure." Sam replied grinning. Dean frowned at him again, this time not hiding his suspicious look. "But you're not working…what sort of stuff do you have to do that's more important than saving a couple of friends?" he asked.

Clark looked uneasy, "It's sort of personal…I'll come by later if I can." He said making his path clear. Dean narrowed his eyes at him and muttered, "Some friend. Just wait till you're stuck in something like this." Sam laughed and Clark grinned apologetically again before practically disappearing to do the supposed important stuff he had to do.

By the late afternoon, Chloe was showing off the new, almost glittering basement to her father who'd come home from work. "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen it this clean and organized." He remarked nodding impressively. Chloe grinned and they heard a groan escape Dean who was lying on the couch. "What? So we could have left it halfway decent and it would have looked alright?" he asked sounding tired and sleepy. Chloe laughed and said to her father, "Sam and Dean did most of it. They worked really hard." She said smiling at Dean. He grinned back and closed his eyes again.

Sam had driven off to see Lois and Dean and Chloe had both concluded he'd probably be staying the night there. Gabe grinned and thanked Dean. "You know, having you around here isn't so bad." He said. Chloe rolled her eyes, "Dad he's my boyfriend, not a cleaner." She said taking his briefcase. Gabe chuckled, "I know…hey I might go take a shower, I bet when Dean wakes up he'll be taking over the bathroom." He said glancing at Dean's snoring figure.

Chloe grinned and watched him walk upstairs. She heard the bathroom door shut and she stepped into the kitchen to make some dinner. She was in the process of setting out the table when the phone rang. Chloe glanced at Dean who was dead asleep. She quickly answered the phone. "Hello?" she asked. The voice on the other end was smooth and professional. "Good afternoon this is Doctor Allison Rogers from Smallville Hospital, I'm calling for a Mr. Sullivan. Can I please speak to him?" A female voice asked.

Chloe frowned, why was a doctor calling from the hospital for her father? "Um, He's not available right now. Do you want to leave a message?" she asked. There was a pause on the line and then the doctor said, "No, I think I'll call him again at a more suitable time. Could you please just inform Mr. Sullivan that his appointment time has been changed to 10:00 am and if he could please call me back when he gets back? I can give him details then." The doctor said. Chloe's mind reeled with questions but she forced an okay out of her mouth and hung up.

She frowned as the questions played through her mind. When had her father made an appointment at the hospital? And why had he made the appointment? Was he finally doing something about his health? If he was then why hadn't he told her? She would've been happy about it. Chloe blinked a few times and shook her head. She'd ask her dad about this when he'd come to dinner, he'd tell her everything about this appointment.

"Hey you made dinner, Smells good." Chloe turned around in surprise and let her breath out quickly when she saw it was Dean. "Don't do that Dean." She scolded quietly. He looked at her in concern. "What's wrong Chloe? Is it Lana." He asked moving towards her. Chloe shook her head. "No it's not that…the phone call was for dad." She started. Dean nodded, "And what happened?" Chloe looked at him carefully.

"The call was from the hospital. Apparently dad has an appointment tomorrow. He didn't even tell me and usually he tells me if something like this happens." She told Dean. Dean thought back to Gabe's decreasing health. "Well, it's a good thing if he's getting checked out right? Isn't that what we're always trying to make him do; get him checked out by the doctor?" he asked. Chloe nodded slowly but said, "Yeah but I thought he'd tell me so that I'd stop nagging him about it. And the way that doctor was talking, it sounds like she had to talk to him about something important. If it's a just a check up then why would she be wanting to talk to him over the phone about it?" Chloe asked.

Dean found this a bit curious as well; you'd think the guy would like to get his daughter off his back by telling her about his surrender. He smiled at Chloe and said, "Look, maybe he just made the appointment today. Or he doesn't want to worry you. If he's finally seeing a doctor then it's a good thing. You don't want to bug him even more for finally making the appointment." Dean warned her. Chloe nodded smiling. "Yeah I guess." She replied.

She still looked worried and Dean pulled her into his arms. "Chloe, stop freaking out; you're reminding me of Sam. Just ask your dad about it later, if it's something serious, which it probably isn't, then he'll definitely tell you. Okay?" he said kissing her gently on her shoulder. Chloe relaxed for a few moments, "I guess you're right. It's weird, when he wouldn't go to the doctor I used to freak out and now that he has I'm freaking out again over what the results could be." She said, her smile small and lost.

Dean looked at her distantly and said, "Yeah, I know what it's like, waiting for something to happen and when it does, freaking over what'll come out of it."

Chloe snapped out of her lost self and grinned at Dean. "You know, someone told me that you weren't good with words," she said taking a broken leaf out of his hair. Dean smirked, "Was that someone Sam coz if it was then I'm going to-" he was surprised to feel her lips on his and when they broke apart he grinned at her. "Not that I didn't like it but what was that for?"

Her eyes glowed and she said, "For saying the perfect things at the perfect times." He smiled and his eyes fell on the black diary on the counter. "You going to start writing in this again?" he asked taking the book in his hands. Chloe looked at the diary apprehensively and shook her head. "No. I don't want to go through the pages again. There's stuff in there that I've managed to forget thanks to having you. I don't want to see it again." She said quietly.

Dean nodded at her slowly and asked, "Did you write about Jason?" Chloe remembered the many paged filled with her meetings with Jason and their times spent together. She nodded and said, "Yeah…I really needed to talk about it with someone but I couldn't. This diary was the only way I could let out all the frustration I felt." She said seriously looking at Dean. Dean put a finger under her chin and ran his thumb over it fondly. "You don't need to worry about it anymore okay?" he confirmed. Chloe smiled, "Not when you're telling me not to." She admitted.

They heard Gabe's footsteps thud down the stairs and Dean moved slowly apart from Chloe. Sure he was good friends with Gabe right now but he didn't want to be pushing it. Gabe smiled at the pair and asked, "You guys ready for dinner? Good, I'm pretty hungry myself." He said cheerfully as he sat down at the dining table.

Chloe glanced at Dean and they both sat down at the table as well. Gabe talked merrily about some colleagues' birthday at the office and didn't notice the unusual silence from Chloe and Dean. Chloe was contemplating whether to ask about the doctor's appointment or not. Gabe laughed recounting George's (his good friend at work) reaction to the surprise birthday party, "He was shocked off his face." Gabe said chuckling.

When he heard his lone laughter around the table he frowned and looked at the two. "What's wrong? You guys are quiet, that's a bit weird seeing as how you two usually never shut up." He commented looking first at Dean and then at Chloe. They glanced at each other again and then looked at Gabe. Chloe couldn't help herself when she blurted out, "A doctor called from the Smallville Hospital to confirm an appointment that you made. And she wanted to tell you something important." Chloe added staring at her father.

Dean was quiet as he looked towards Gabe as well. Gabe looked surprised and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Uh, yes I made an appointment to do something about my coughing. Thought you'd be happy to hear about it." He said. Chloe looked slightly guilty but she said quickly, "Of course I'm happy you're finally doing something about it dad but I thought you'd share it with me, that's all. It just felt weird, usually you tell me everything." She said sincerely. Gabe's face softened. He smiled at her and at Dean as well. "I know, but I felt that I should stop worrying you with small things." He said kindly.

Chloe smiled back at him and said, "I want to know these small things. It's my job to worry about you dad." She explained. He grinned back at her and nodded. "Did the doctor leave a message?" he asked. Chloe nodded, "She wanted you to phone back and said something about your appointment date being changed." She replied. Gabe nodded thoughtfully and said quietly, "I'll call her afterwards."

Dean looked at Chloe while Gabe went on eating to give her a reassuring and relived smile but he noticed her eyes mixed with suspicious streaks. She had on the same expression she usually had when she was investigating a story with underlying facts. He didn't ask her anything but she gave him a knowing look. They spent the rest of dinner normally, chatting and laughing over their day's activities. Dean noticed Chloe's sharp glances at her father although she acted normally.

After they had eaten and the clock had displayed the time to be eleven at night, Dean had bid Gabe goodnight and good-bye for the day and had been escorted out to the front door by Chloe. She smiled and kissed him goodnight. He looked past her into the lounge where Gabe was picking up his office papers to get ready for bed himself. "Okay what is it? You're planning something, I can tell." He said looking back at her. Chloe looked at him surprised, "What?" she asked.

He smirked, "Chloe, when you're in your investigating mode I can tell." He let out. Chloe smiled at him but said, "I don't know, dad's not telling me the whole story behind this appointment. I can tell." She said grinning as she realized Dean had just said the same thing. Dean grinned as well but said, "So what are you going to do about it?" Chloe looked determined, "When I don't know something, I find out." Dean wasn't surprised to hear that and he gave her a quick peck again, "Tell me when you find out." Chloe nodded, "Yeah, bye." She watched him walk to the Impala and sighed as she walked back inside.

Gabe looked up at her and she grinned back easily. "I'm going to go take a shower and then go to sleep, okay dad?" she asked as she walked towards the stairs. Gabe nodded, "Good night sweetie." He replied as she gave him a quick hug. She said goodnight and made her way up to her bedroom. In the shower she felt the water relax her shoulders and she closed her eyes only to snap them open when she heard the phone ring downstairs and on her bedside table.

Meanwhile, Gabe who had been pacing the lounge room, wondering what Dr. Rogers had stumbled upon now. He almost jumped when the phone rang and he glanced upstairs aware that the shower's noises were quiet now. Hopefully she's getting dressed and she hasn't bothered to pick the phone up, he thought to himself. Gabe picked the phone and said in a quiet voice, "Hello" Allison Rogers greeted him, "I called earlier but you weren't available so I thought I'd call you now." She said after he greeted her as well.

Gabe sighed, "Yes my daughter told me. Dr. Rogers, I'd really prefer if you'd call me on my mobile. But now that you've called….what do my reports say?" he asked getting to the point. There was a pause on the other end and he could the doctor biting her lip. He'd known Allison Rogers for a few weeks now and she was an easy person to read. Finally she said, "They say a lot, look I think you should come to the hospital earlier than your scheduled appointment, the sooner I tell you the better. Come over tomorrow and we'll talk then." Dr. Rogers said heavily. Gabe chuckled sadly, "Doesn't sound good by the sound of your voice Dr. Rogers. I'll be there tomorrow. Bye." He said. Dr. Rogers said bye and he hung up.

Gabe passed the mantel where a few photos rested and he sighed, picking up one with a five year old Chloe in it. He thought about the first few tests they'd had to run and the nervousness he'd felt. Now he didn't feel anything except for loss and numbness. He had a feeling he knew what the doctor would say. Gabe walked upstairs to Chloe's room and knocked. He heard some rustling before Chloe opened the door looking tousled. "Sorry sweetie, you weren't sleeping were you?" he asked. Chloe shook her head, "No just getting ready for bed. You okay dad? You look a bit worried." She asked peering into his face.

Gabe grinned, "I was going to ask you the same thing." He said wondering what was troubling her. Chloe smiled, "I'm not worried, I was just thinking about some of the things going on." She didn't know what else to add and looked uneasy. Gabe nodded and ruffled her hair. "Well, you should get back to sleep, I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled at her, receiving a smile from her as well and then walked back to his own room.

When Chloe closed the door behind her, her lips thinned. She'd picked up the phone after getting out of the shower and had listened in on the conversation between Dr. Rogers and her father. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop but when she'd heard who the phone call was from she'd paid rapt attention. And as the conversation continued, Chloe's suspicion grew more and more, her dad was hiding something from her and it had to do with his health which worried Chloe even more.

She knew her dad, he wouldn't tell her about his appointment tomorrow so she'd decided to follow him. Chloe didn't know what it was he was hiding but she needed to find out.

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The next morning Gabe was quiet as he drank his coffee and read the paper. Chloe would glance at him now and then between her breakfast of eggs and bacon. Her mobile phone rang and she picked it up. "Hey Dean." She said. Dean said hi and asked if she was free for the day. Chloe looked at her father again who seemed absorbed in the newspaper although she knew his ears were always perked up when Dean called her.

"Um, I don't know, I might not be at home this morning." She said quietly. Dean asked, "Work?" "No, but I've got to do some other stuff, you know" she said pointedly. "Oh, yeah, how's that going? Did you find anything out?" he asked. Chloe glanced at her father again and said, "Yeah sort of. I've got to go." She felt bad, hanging up so abruptly but she didn't want her dad to get suspicious. Dean looked at the phone in his hands with raised eyebrows. "Okay." He said glancing at Sam who was going through some police files in Smallville.

"What is it?" Sam asked without looking up. Dean shrugged his shoulders but said, "Chloe's worrying about this too much, her dad and his health. I know she's scared of losing him but it could just be nothing. Anyway, what are you and Lois doing today?" Sam looked at Dean for a second. "I don't know, we were just going to meet Chloe at her place tonight. With Lana and Clark, hey Dean I came across something interesting." Sam added. Dean looked up at him with a smirk, "What they've finally found what mental condition you've got?" he asked looking hopeful.

Sam scowled at him, "Funny Dean, no, I found something that looks like a demon trail." He said looking at Dean closely. Dean's ears snapped to attention. "A trail on the YED?" he asked in a real hopeful voice. Sam shook his head, "Not the YED, but it's a demon alright…it's possessed a girl from Metropolis and he's moved on to a town not too far from there." He paused to see Dean's face change into hunting mode. "Let's go then." He said simply getting up.

Sam looked at him in surprise. Dean lifted his shoulders, "What is it Sam?" he asked. "What about the life here in Smallville?" Sam asked. Dean looked at Sam as if contemplating something and after a moment he sat down slowly. "I don't know if I can leave Chloe." He said quietly to Sam. Sam knew what Dean meant, sure they'd promised the women in their lives that they'd stay by their sides until they'd want them to, but Sam and Dean both knew it wasn't possible. Hunting wasn't something they could ever let go of.

Dean looked at Sam again in a confused way. "What do we do?" he asked, wondering how they could possibly turn a blind eye to the demon. He bit his cheek agitated by the decision he'd have to make. Sam stared at the wall for a few minutes in silence. "We've never been this happy before Dean." Dean looked at him sharply, "We both knew it wouldn't last." He replied. Sam looked back at him and nodded, "In a sad way I hoped it would."

Dean looked at his brother carefully and thought about their limited options. Without speaking he got up and picked up his phone from the coffee table in their room. The number he wanted was on speed dial. After a few rings a gruff voice answered, "Hello." "Hey Bobby, it's me Dean," he said. "Dean? I was getting worried about you boys, you guys haven't called in a while." The older man said his voice hinting relief. Dean sighed, "Yeah, Sam and I have been busy…" He wasn't surprised to hear Bobby ask, "On a hunt?" Dean looked at Sam who was standing nearby.

"Um no. There's some stuff we had to do here in Smallville. We're not on a hunt right now, that's why I called." He said. There was a pause on the other end and Dean could imagine Bobby trying to remember a time when the boys hadn't been hunting. "You're in Smallville but you're not hunting?" Bobby asked. Dean confirmed and he could hear the displeasure in Bobby's voice when he said, "Can I ask why you're not hunting even in a place like Smallville? Is something wrong?" Dean sighed again and said, "No, nothing's wrong…well not with me or Sam but there's people here we have to look out for right now. They need us, and I need your help."

Bobby didn't ask too many questions apart from, "What do you want me to do?" "There's a demon who's possessed people in Metropolis, not too far from us, we're in Kansas. Bobby could you check what's going on there? Only for a couple of days, until Sam and I get there." He asked. Bobby grunted, "I'll take care of it for a couple of days but I can't guarantee any more than that Dean. I'm on a trail as well," Bobby warned. Dean mumbled his thanks and said, "We'll be there soon Bobby, thanks." He hung up and looked at Sam who seemed to be holding his breath.

"Bobby will take care of the demon until we get there in a few days. We can't stay here for too long Sam, Bobby's on a trail as well; we have to get back to hunting. We should make most of the two days we have left here and we should tell Chloe and Lois that we're leaving soon. I don't want to spring it on Chloe the moment we're leaving." Dean said quietly to Sam. Sam looked at Dean quietly for a moment and decided not to question Dean and his feelings yet.

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Chloe smiled as Dean crossed her room and kissed her quickly on her neck as a greeting. "Morning babe," he said as he hugged her tightly. She grinned widely, "Hmm, a hugging, kissing Dean…please don't tell me you've crashed my car, kisses and hugs won't be enough to calm me down." She replied moving away after returning his hug. Dean laughed, "Why do you always think I've smashed something when I get extra cuddly?" he asked sitting on the edge of her bed. Chloe laughed, "Just instinct, I guess…look at all these boxes." She said distractingly as her eyes fell upon a carton full of Lana's things that had come out of their basement clean up.

Dean looked over at the few boxes labeled with people's names. The one with the most things were Lana's box. "Want me to drop them by?" he asked. Chloe looked at the box carefully and said, "Actually, I'll come with you. I'm thinking of telling Lana the truth and I'm thinking of telling her today." Chloe's determination glowed in her eyes and Dean knew she was certain about this. But still he was apprehensive, "Are you sure? Chloe you don't need to rush any of this." He said gently.

Chloe gave a small smile, "Yeah I do Dean. You're going to be gone in a day and even though I can do almost anything by myself, this is one thing I desperately need you here for. That's why I need to tell her the truth about me and Jason, and I need to tell her today." She concluded. Dean looked at her in surprise and said, "Chloe how do you know I'm going in a day?" he asked. Chloe sat down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Sam told Lois and she told me. I was surprised." She admitted. Dean closed his eyes but made a mental note to kick Sam's but for wrecking Dean's attempt to bring the news to Chloe gently. "I was going to tell you today." He interjected.

Chloe grinned, "I know. There's always something in the way you hug me when there's any bad news you have to tell me." She explained. Dean grinned but it didn't reach his eyes, "Bobby's holding out for us until the day after tomorrow, but after that, he's got another trail to follow. He can't be our baby sitter for our jobs." He said heavily. Chloe traced his palm lines absently as she said, "I know. Don't worry about me. I'll bug you everyday on the phone. You'll never feel the absence of my voice." She said mischievously. Dean smiled at that and asked her when she wanted to tell Lana. She looked up at the clock and sighed, "I'll get ready now, it's time to face my demons." She stopped and looked at Dean who had raised his eyebrows in a comical way. They laughed but both were nervous about the reality of what Chloe had just said.

When Dean and Chloe walked downstairs Gabe was coughing so much, it sounded like he was coughing up his lungs. Chloe hurried over to him, "Dad. Why are you coughing so much? Haven't you been taking your medicine?" she asked after Dean hurried over with water. Gabe rubbed his chest quickly and grinned painfully, "I'm fine, I'm taking it in the afternoons, I'm fine Chloe." He muttered before making an excuse to go up to his room. Chloe looked at his disappearing form and then turned to Dean who had noticed the uncomfortable look pass through Gabe's face at the mention of medicine.

She opened her mouth to say something but then shook her head and muttered, "Never mind. Let's just go to Clark's, that's where Lana is." Dean looked back at the stairs but nodded and followed Chloe out to her car where he deposited the crate of Lana's things and sat in. They drove in comfortable silence, both lost in their own fears and thoughts.

Something kept bugging Dean about the way Gabe was acting and the reality of leaving the woman he loved when she would need him the most. Meanwhile Chloe's mind was whirling with the outcomes of Lana's reaction when she'd find out the truth. She couldn't stop herself from hoping that somehow miraculously, Lana would see how sorry she was but in the back of her mind she knew it was close to impossible.

They reached the Kent's house and got out, Dean taking the crate in his arms after squeezing Chloe's arm and kissing the top of her head quickly in reassurance. Chloe smiled and said hi to an exiting Martha and Clark who informed them that Lana was in the barn cleaning up. Chloe nodded and looked at Dean quickly before walking with him into the barn where Lana was sweeping the floor.

She looked up and grinned at the two, "Hey, finally done with that basement?" she asked Dean after greeting them. Dean grinned slowly, "Um, yeah." He managed. Lana smiled, "Sorry I didn't come around to help but I was sorting some stuff out." Chloe felt her insides squirm and her throat felt dry.

She opened her mouth to say something light and closed it again in shame. How was she going to say this? Lana looked at her carefully, "What's wrong Chloe? Are you alright?" she asked. Chloe cleared her throat, "Um, yeah, Lana could I get a glass of water?" She watched Lana nod and hurry out of the barn to get water.

Dean turned to her and took her hands in his, "You'll be alright Chloe, once you tell her the truth you'll both be able to get over it slowly." He said. Chloe bit back her scared tears and shook her head. "No Dean, she's going to hate me after this…I mean look at what I did. I broke her trust and had an affair with the guy she was in love with, it wasn't just Jason who broke her heart, it was me as well." Chloe said quietly.

Dean opened his mouth to retaliate but a smash resounded in the barn and both Chloe and Dean turned immediately to the entrance of the barn. Lana's face was expressionless but her eyes had filled with tears. They outshone the broken shards of glass lying around her feet. Chloe's eyes widened and Dean put a hand to his forehead, knowing that this was going to be hurtful for both girls.

Lana looked at Chloe in disbelief and said, "Chloe…you and Jason…" The tears dripped down her face and she pressed her hands over her mouth as she sobbed. Chloe's tears weren't far behind and she took a step towards Lana, "Lana, please don't think-" she started, but as she took steps towards her, Lana yelled, "Don't come near me!"

Chloe cried as she started to try to explain how sorry she was but Lana backed against the wall and slid down, crying even harder into her arms. Chloe knelt down next to Lana, shaking her arms gently and crying, asking her to forgive her. "I'm so sorry Lana. Pl-please, I never wanted to hurt you. You're like a sister to me, please. Lana I'm sorry, please Lana…" she cried her face looking down in shame.

She felt Lana's body go stiff and she looked up. As soon as her face lifted to face Lana's, a hand slammed a cheek in a stinging slap. Chloe's eyes filled with more tears as Lana's face turned into a furious and angry snarl. Hatred sketched in her eyes, seeping through her face.

Dean had hurried over and he pulled Chloe to her feet, "Don't even think about it Lana!" he warned as he pulled Chloe close. But Chloe shook her head at him and pulled away. "No, Dean she's right. I deserve it…. please could you just wait for me in the car?" Her eyes were mixed with tears and pleading. He shook his head at first; there was no way he'd leave her there with Lana. But the way her eyes were pleading with his; his urge to hold her and take her away from all this was pushed down by the reality that she had to face this pain by herself for a few minutes before he could comfort her.

He glared at Lana who was staring at him with as much hatred as she had been staring at Chloe. He looked back at Chloe, his jaw twitching, the way it always did when his emotions were bubbling and his anger was simmering. "Please…" Chloe whispered, her tear streaked face looking the worst he'd ever seen her look. Dean placed a rock over his heart and nodded turning on his heel and walking out to her car where he sat, praying to a god he'd never prayed to before for Chloe's pain to melt away.

When Dean walked out, Chloe gulped and looked at Lana. She didn't move forward but when she opened her mouth to talk, Lana hissed at her, "I don't want to hear a fucking word that comes out of your filthy mouth, bitch! If you don't want me to break you the way you and Jason broke me, then get the fuck out of here!" Her voice was low and deadly and it scared Chloe to hear her use that tone on her.

But she needed to tell her how sorry she was. "Lana I promise, I never meant for anything to happen between us I swear. It hurt me so much, to betray you…I'm so sorry Lana, I'm telling you the truth, I never wanted this to happen. I'm so sorry…" She whispered, her tears starting again.

She saw Lana grip her clothes tightly around her fist. She laughed bitterly, "You're sorry? **You're sorry?** Fuck, it's a bit late don't you think? Do you want me to kiss your fucking feet for letting me in on your dirty secret? How can you even stand in front of me after what you did?" Chloe's tears streamed down her face and Lana snarled at her, "And you buried the spoonful of respect you could possibly have by dating Jason's look a like? What is wrong with you Chloe? Get out right now if you don't want me to hit you with something! Just get out!" Lana said, her voice rising again. Chloe bit her lip as she cried wanting to explain so much. But Lana's faced was livid and she screamed at Chloe, "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!!!!"

Chloe's insides hurt with the shame she felt as she ran out of the barn crying uncontrollably. Dean was out of the car in a second as soon as he saw her reappear. He caught her in his open arms before she fell and gritted his teeth as he felt her clutch his shirt with sadness. Dean kissed her forehead quickly and soothed her, "Shh, it's alright. Everything's going be alright, in a few days, it'll all be over with…don't cry Chloe, please…" he pleaded as he guided her to the Impala.

She looked up at him, the tears never ending and said in a weak voice, "She-she hates me Dean. She hates me…" Dean shook his head but looked over hers to see Lana standing at the entrance of the barn, her face cold and her eyes frosted as she watched the two rigidly. He didn't mention anything about this to Chloe who was crying silently as she sat in the passenger seat. Dean got in and took her hand, "Chloe, stay strong…if this is the worst that can happen, then things can only get better from here."

Chloe shook her head but didn't let herself say anything. He tried to comfort her along the way as he drove to her house but Chloe's silent teary face didn't change and she didn't say anything, which scared Dean. When they reached Chloe's house, Gabe wasn't there and Dean was grateful for that. As soon as they entered the house Dean's cell phone rang and when Dean answered it was Sam on the other end.

He cleared his throat and said gruffly, "Yeah Sam?" Sam asked straight away, "What's wrong with Chloe Dean? Lois saw you guys on the way to the Talon but she said you guys drove straight by without a glance. And she said Chloe was crying. What's happened? Did something attack her?" Dean could hear the definite worry in Sam's voice and he sighed after checking where Chloe was (she'd ran up to her room). His voice lowered and he said, "We just went to see Lana…Chloe wanted to tell her the truth about her and Jason…" He heard Sam inhale loudly and then, "Oh…What happened? How bad is it?" his brother asked.

Dean bit his lip for a second, "It's bad Sam…she hasn't stopped crying ever since she told her. Maybe you should get Lois to come here…I don't know how helpful I'm being right now. I want her to let it out, I'm scared she's going to bottle it inside her." Sam agreed, "Yeah, look we'll be over straight away. Don't worry Dean." He added sensing the low tone in Dean's voice. Dean didn't say anything but hung up looking towards the stairs.

He trudged up them and knocked on Chloe's door, not expecting her to listen to anything he'd have to say. But the door opened immediately and Chloe's tired and miserable face buried itself in his shoulder as he closed his arms around her. She wasn't crying anymore, but her body language said it all. "I'm here for you Chloe, don't worry about anything," he said rubbing a finger across her cheek. Her red eyes looked up at his and she bit her lip, "I knew this was going to happen, and I knew she'd be angry, but I never imagined she'd be this enraged. I don't know if she even realizes how sorry I am, how much I regret what I did." Her voice was thin and broken.

Dean kissed her forehead quickly and shook his head, "Chloe, you and Lana are like sisters. And no matter how bad the mistake is, when she sees how sorry you are, she'll have to forgive you. She'll remember how close you guys are." He gave a small reassuring smile. Just then the doorbell rang and Chloe looked down the stairs apprehensively. He squeezed her hand, "Its probably just Sam and Lois, they called a few minutes earlier." He explained.

Chloe nodded and they made their way to the door. When Dean opened it, an anxious Sam and a worried Lois stood waiting. "Hey," Sam said gravely before Lois asked quickly, "Where's Chloe?" Dean nodded at Sam and jerked his head towards the living room in answer to Lois. She walked in straight away and Sam looked at Dean carefully. "Did she let Chloe tell her the whole story?" he asked. Dean shrugged as they walked inside. "Chloe made me wait outside while they talked. But I felt like hitting Lana after she slapped Chloe. But I stayed quite because of Chloe." He said in a low voice.

Lois was hugging Chloe who was sitting on the sofa with her head in her hands, explaining what happened. "I didn't get to tell her how much I regret what happened, how sorry I was. But I deserved what I got, I don't blame her for anything." She said softly. Lois shook her head, "Chloe, we're for you no matter how bad things get. We know that you never wanted things to get so out of hand and once she gets over the pain she'll see that too."

Sam looked at Dean and then at Chloe who was talking to Lois quietly. "Dean if you have to stay then stay. I'll go finish the hunt myself, Chloe needs you." He said. Lois and Chloe turned towards the boys, Lois's gaze steady on Dean who seriously thought about what Sam was saying. But before he could say anything, Chloe said, "No, Dean I want you to go take care of that case. Don't stay behind because of me…it's not as important." Her words were strong but Dean shook his head, "I'm not leaving you like this Chloe." He said.

Chloe smiled at him tiredly, "Dean, you can't neglect hunting because of my personal dramas…I've got Lois here to help me through as well. And you won't be gone for too long." She reminded him. Dean stared at her for a moment wondering about what he should do; he had to hunt but he didn't want to leave her. She was at her most vulnerable stage yet. Sam and Lois looked at him expectantly but Sam had a feeling he knew what Dean would choose.

Dean walked over to Chloe and sat next to her. "You know I love you." He started. Chloe smiled gingerly and said, "You don't have to keep proving that to me." She said. Dean didn't smile but looked at her intensely until she took a deep breath and said, "You promised to be here for me when I had to tell Lana the truth, and you've done that Dean…the hardest part is done with." He looked at his hands for a moment and then at Sam and Lois who looked quite neutral. He was surprised that she was quite at a moment like this and as if reading his mind she said, "I'm not so happy about both of you leaving so soon but" she was cut off by Chloe who said, "But its what I want." Lois glanced at her and nodded.

Dean looked back at Chloe and then stood up, "Then we should start packing Sam." He said in a strong voice although his eyes were fixated on his shoes. Sam who had been watching him patiently stood up as well and looked at Chloe, asking her with his eyes if she was sure about this. There was a determination in her eyes that made him nod gently at her. Chloe got up and hugged Dean, asking him when they'd be leaving. "Tomorrow morning, if we get there early we can get back just as quick if anything doesn't come up after that." He said quietly.

Lois was grim when she asked Sam aside if they needed any help packing. "We'll be fine, I think Chloe needs you here." He said quietly. Lois nodded and looked away for a moment, wondering how to word the sadness that was sweeping through her. "We'll be back soon." Sam said quietly putting his hands on her shoulders. She smiled at him and said, "You know, usually I'm pretty strong when it comes to guys." Sam grinned and looked at Dean and Chloe who were talking quietly among them.

"Usually we've never been able to stay in one place like we have now." He replied glancing pointedly at his brother. Lois smiled and hugged him, "I'm going to miss you, even if you're just going for a few days. I'm not used to not having you around anymore." She admitted. Sam grinned but looked concerned as his eyes glanced at Chloe. Lois looked over and placed a hand on his, "Don't be gone for too long, I'm going to try my best to keep her away from falling into depression but the only person who can get her out of it completely is your brother." She said realizing how important Dean was in Chloe's life.

They boys left after a while to start packing what little things they had and Lois sat down with Chloe, talking about how much she'd miss them. She didn't want Chloe to think about her encounter with Lana so she stayed on topics she'd knew wouldn't venture any where near Lana. Chloe was quiet, only really answering when she felt like she had to.

After a while Lois said, "Chloe don't shut me out please. I know, you think you deserve the crap Lana's handing out to you, but that's not true. And I'm not going to go away because you won't tell me how you feel. I'll always be here supporting you. Just because Lana's mad at you and Dean isn't here for a few days, it doesn't mean you're alone. Don't ever think you're alone, I'm always here." Chloe looked up at her and wrapped her arms around her gratefully. "Thank you." She whispered closing her eyes.

Later on after the boys had packed, they came back and Sam and Dean offered to take the girls out. But Dean knew Chloe wouldn't go and so he sent Sam and Lois. They were both opposed to going out when Chloe was going through such turmoil but Chloe insisted they go out. "We can't go at a time like this." Lois argued. Chloe sighed, "Lois, please, if you really want to help me, then go and have fun. If you guys are going to be sitting around here then I'm just going to feel worse. Please, go out on a last date or whatever you want to call it." She said almost pushing them out of the house.

They went although not heartedly but Dean knew that in a way they all needed time together alone.

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The next morning Chloe was up at five, before the snoring Dean next to her, who had stayed with her for the rest of the day. She knew her father was probably still in bed, he'd come home pretty late himself. At eight o'clock, when a heavy hearted and sleepy Dean walked downstairs, he was surprised to see Chloe sitting on the lounge room floor, surrounded by a pile of photos and scrapbooks. When he stood next to her, he saw the photos were Lana and her, through various times in their life and that the scrapbooks were the scrapbooks she'd made with the help of Lana and Lois.

He placed a hand on her shoulder making her tense until she turned and saw him. Chloe's smile was still a small strained one and he sat down next her. She passed him the photos and started describing what they were of and when they'd been taken. After a while she turned to him and asked, "Shouldn't you be going back to see if Sam's packed and ready?" He shook his head; "I can sit here for a while longer for you." He said seriously.

Chloe looked into his green eyes and felt something inside her glow, sure everything was over, but at least she still had Dean. He was with her, every step she took. She leaned into him, her arms wrapped around him. "I'm going to miss you when you're gone." She said. "It's only for a few days," he reminded her. She shook her head, "No, when you're really gone; hunting for months on end, I'll miss you the most then." He didn't know how she got over the obstacles his past relationships had stumbled into. "I'll miss you more than I thought I could miss anyone. But I'll be back every moment I get." He promised.

An hour later and Gabe was up as well, and he could tell the atmosphere was tense. "Good morning. What's wrong, something doesn't feel right." He mentioned as he received dreary responses. Dean looked at him and said, "I'm leaving, I have to go away for a few days." He said quietly. Gabe looked confused but suddenly realization dawned on him. "A hunt?" he asked. Dean nodded and Gabe asked, "Is Chloe going?" Chloe shook her head and although Gabe was sorry to hear that Dean was going away, he was glad Chloe wasn't.

"How long will you be away?" he asked Dean. Dean looked at Chloe and then back at Gabe, "Um, we might be away for a few days or a week. I can't say exactly how long." He was surprised when Gabe walked across over to him and gave him a pat/hug which lasted a few seconds. "You're a great guy Dean." He said quietly. Dean was touched as he nodded and announced a second later (in a tough voice which made Chloe smile) that he'd make breakfast for everyone.

Chloe laughed and said, "Well, at least you learnt something while you were here." As soon as they sat down to eat, the doorbell rang and when Gabe opened the door in came a sober looking Sam and Lois. They smiled and greeted everyone and then sat down to have breakfast after being invited by Chloe. It felt like they'd been sitting at the table for hours laughing, eating and talking about everything but at ten o'clock they all got up and walked outside; their happy demeanor vanishing and replacing itself with a gloomy atmosphere.

Sam and Dean turned to Chloe and Lois. Dean grinned painfully at Chloe and Gabe but when he saw Chloe's sad eyes his smile watered into a grim line and he pulled her in for a hug. "Look, if anything happens; whether it's about Lana or your dad, call me. I'll be over as soon as I hear your voice." He whispered. Chloe nodded silently before saying, "I'll miss you." Dean nodded as well and turned to Gabe. "Sorry for anything stupid I've said or done. You're pretty cool for an old guy." He said grinning. Gabe shook his hand, "It's been fun having you here Dean." Dean smiled and turned to Lois who had just finished hugging Sam.

"Hey, you're not that bad once you stop listening and singing all that R&B stuff." Dean said, smirking. Lois opened her mouth to retaliate and he laughed, "I'm kidding, you're cool Lois, you'll end up making a man out of Sam eventually. Take care of Chloe for me eh?" he asked seriously. Lois stared at him and then smiled, "I will, don't worry about it. Just don't be too long…and don't give Sam too much of a hard time alright?" she warned.

Dean laughed and looked at Sam, "Hear that Sam? I've got orders from your girlfriend to go easy on you. Ha, as if that's going to happen." He said laughing at Sam's annoyed expression. Both boys backed away towards the Impala and turned to grin at the Sullivans and Lois. "Call me whenever you can alright?" Chloe called, Dean nodded. Lois and Sam's eyes connected and he turned away for a moment. But she held her gaze and Sam looked back at her with a smile.

Dean didn't really know if Chloe would be alright or not but he was depending on Lois to stick by her and was praying to whatever god there was that she'd get over the pain. He sighed heavily as he and Sam got in the car and started up the engine. Sam glanced back as the car rolled out of the driveway and both boys waved and smiled as they slowly drove past the Sullivan house. Chloe and Lois waved back slowly while Gabe nodded at them.

They drove along the street for a few seconds in silence and when Dean couldn't bear it he slammed his fist on the horn and said loudly, "Yep, let's go kick some demon ass!" Sam almost jumped and stared at him. "What?" Dean asked taking his eyes off the road for a second. "What-Dean I don't I'll ever get you." Sam said exasperatedly.

Dean took this as a compliment and he grinned widely. After that it seemed Dean had succeeded in lightening up the atmosphere and Sam's mood because there was a slight grin on Sam's face. Dean knew how important Lois was to Sam and he didn't like seeing his younger brother upset over something like this. Sure it was different when Dean was the one making him upset, but when it was something serious like this, even Dean didn't feel like being a dickhead to him then.

**Okay ppl, one chapter finished only one more to go! Whoohoo! Sorry I just finished my year 10 exams and have finally gotten some time to breathe… I hope u guys knew why I hadn't written nething for about a million years. That's how long it feels to me. But don't worry, iv been feeling really bad everytime iv seen new reviews in my email and that had motivated me to finish this story off. Everything will be solved next chapter so stay tuned. I know it sounds lame, (the exams took their toll)lol.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Nobody Knows This Secret**

_Hey ppl this is my first sn/sv fanfic so I hope you like it. I always wondered what it would have been like if Chloe and Jason had been together instead of Jason and Lana. But Im still hoping for a dean/chloe crossover episode. I don't own anything from smallville or supernatural, none of the characters, places etc. I __**wish**__ I owned the Winchester boys. Im just building a story here. Enjoy and plz plz plz review. Thanks_

**Chapter Ten**

Chloe sighed heavily, as she stared at her blank page on the computer. It had been two days since Dean and Sam had left and she was still finding it hard to concentrate on resuming her life before them. But then again, life wasn't the way it had been before Dean. In fact now it had turned upside down and she felt like the one responsible for it. She placed a hand on her head and her co-worker Trish looked at her in sympathy. "Got a headache?" she asked.

Chloe smiled wanly but nodded, "Yeah…I don't feel so good." She lied, although the more she thought about Lana, the lie felt like the truth. Trish smiled warmly. "Yeah…I get under the weather too when my man's away for too long." The older African American lady replied smoothly. Chloe looked back at her and grinned gently when she chuckled. "Yeah he has something to do with it." She admitted. "Why don't you go home for the rest of the day?" Trish asked in concern. Chloe almost snorted, "Home? Perry's going to blow a fuse when she hears me ask for a half day. I've still got to finish the article on the President's speech," she revealed.

She'd spent most of the last two days listening to the tiring and boring speech over and over again; and still it was only half finished. Trish scowled faintly and said, "What, that old speech? I've been writing up notes for that speech since last Wednesday-I can finish that off for you in a few moments, if you'd like." Chloe grinned and shook her head. It was sweet but she didn't want to throw a load of work on a co-worker.

Trish smiled again, "Look, I won't go crediting myself over it if that's bothering you. And the most work I've got right now is a damn article on this week's environmental good deed. I finished it yesterday." She reasoned. Chloe smiled back at her and thought about how dead she felt. She'd always been a hard worker…she'd kept up with her deadlines regardless of how impossible they had been at times. She was a good journalist; didn't she deserve at least this one-day off when she felt so unstable? Chloe sighed, Perry wouldn't say anything if she didn't know, right?

Chloe looked at Trish doubtfully and Trish placed a hand on hers. "Girl I don't know what you've been through but you don't look good. Sitting here and being yelled at by Perry isn't going to do you any better. Don't worry; I'll take care of her if she comes this way to check up on you. Alright?" Chloe smiled widely this time and thanked Trish, "Oh don't worry, you go on now." Trish answered. Chloe gathered her things and her handbag before smiling at Trish and heading out of the office. She knew Perry would most likely be in meetings for the whole day, but of course she didn't want to be relying on that completely.

When Chloe reached her car, she pulled out her mobile and dialed Lois. "Hey Chloe?" Lois asked when she picked up. Chloe grinned lightly and said, "Yeah, hi. You busy right now?" Lois told her she wasn't and Chloe sighed with relief. "Good. Do you want to meet me at the coffee shop at the mall?" she asked. Lois said yes and faintly wondered if it was a substitute for the Talon, where Chloe was avoiding nowadays. Chloe slammed her car door shut as she got in and told Lois she'd be there in ten minutes.

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Lois eyed her pale and sad looking cousin across the table. Chloe was toying around with her coffee, twirling the spoon around slowly and then fast. "Chloe?" she asked tentatively. Chloe's brown eyes snapped back to Lois's sharply. "Yeah?" she asked quietly. Lois sighed, "You look terrible." She said apologetically. Chloe laughed hollowly, "Thanks Lois." Lois quickly turned a shade pinker, "No offence, sorry. It's just, it's eating you from the inside isn't it?" she blurted.

Chloe stared at Lois for a while. Why bother lying, this was her cousin, who she'd had her ups and downs with but who had stayed with her through her tough times. "Yeah, I guess it is…I can't stop thinking about that day, about the expression on her face." Lois noticed Chloe's own horrified expression as she recalled the hatred sketched on Lana's face. She reached across and rubbed Chloe's cold hand. "But you did the right thing Chloe. Think about how much more hurt there'd be if you two had this secret between you further along in life." Lois said quietly.

"I know, but Lois Lana hates me right now…" Chloe looked back at her in silence for a few moments and then added, "How can I ever expect her to forgive me now? She doesn't even want to see my face." She closed her eyes and was glad to have Lois holding onto her hand; it felt like the only thing connecting her mind to the real world they were living in contrast to the depressing hell she was going through in her mind.

When she opened her eyes and saw how anxious Lois was, she smiled and shook her head as if shaking away the sadness. "Don't worry about me Lois, I'm not the one who needs the support and the sympathy. Lana's the one who's had her trust broken, the one who's been betrayed. You should go and see if she's alright." Chloe genuinely mean this, Lana needed someone there with her to get over the pain she and Jason had caused.

Lana smiled back disdainfully. "Chloe, you're my cousin and the best friend I made before I even knew what the word meant…I can't leave you when I know you need someone here. I promised Dean that I'd take care of you and this promise coincides with mine…and besides, Lana just about hates me for siding with you so me trying to comfort her is a bad idea."

Chloe looked surprised at this and she began apologizing immediately. "Because of me you-" she started but Lois cut her off. "Because of you Chloe, I've realized my dreams and skills. Because of you Chloe, I've been able to settle into Smallville without feeling alienated. Chloe, don't start apologizing for calling out to your family. Even if you'd had a wanted poster over your head, I'd still stick up for you. Because you're my family, I mean I can't rely on my own dad to be there for me when I call out for help. But I could just look upset and know that you'd be by my side because you're my family and you can't see me upset."

Chloe gave a watery smile at this and leaned her head to one side, "But it can't be easy…you'd have to put up with a lot of bitterness because of me. And I don't know how long this will last." Lois rolled her eyes; "So Lana won't be talking to me for a while, big deal…I'm used to people giving me the silent treatment…it doesn't bother me. But you still looking like a dead person does."

There was a pause in their conversation for a while Lois's latte was delivered and she sipped it quietly. Chloe looked at Lois and asked, "What's it like at the Kents? Does Clark know?" A part of her was terrified at losing another friend and another part felt more shameful. Lois watched her carefully, there was no point lying, "Lana's pretty messed up-she's been trying to act normal around Martha and Clark because she hasn't told them anything…we haven't spoken since she found out that I already knew." She admitted.

Chloe raised an eyebrow despite the depressing situation, "And Clark didn't figure out what was wrong by taking a look at Lana's sad face?" she asked slightly amazed that the ever so perceptive Clark, hadn't realized his true love was going through a painful time. Lois sighed, "She's been good at hiding her feelings. And the only thing that's been out of place according to the Kents is that you haven't come around in a while…I don't think they know." Chloe looked back at her sadly, "She won't tell anyone…she's going to build this up inside her. Lois she needs someone to talk to." She said in a worried voice.

Lois looked back at her hesitant at this indirect hint. "Chloe, I think the last person she'd want to talk to would be me," she said, her eyes displaying her doubt. Chloe looked up at her sharply, "No, **I'd** be the last person she'd want to talk to. She's only mad at you because you're supporting me." Lois bit her lip and felt really sympathetic towards her cousin. One bad choice in her life had led to a string of more and when the truth had been found out, she'd had her world filled with turmoil. Lois didn't know what to say to Chloe to make her feel any better about herself. She and Chloe shared a trait that they were used to telling the truth and hearing it-even when it wasn't to their liking.

Lois sighed and decided to change the topic, "Aren't you supposed to be at work?" she asked. Chloe rolled her eyes, "My friend Trish is covering for me…I couldn't get anything done Lois." She admitted. Her cousin looked at her in concern, "Because of Lana?" she asked. "I don't know, it feels like it's because of Lana and what happened but sometimes it feels like I'm just missing Dean a lot. It sounds stupid, I know…" Chloe said smiling gently. How could Chloe, someone who didn't usually miss guys (she was actually the type who liked having a bit of distance) miss someone so much in just two days?

A smiled crept up Lois's face and she repeated, "Because of Dean?" Chloe looked at her as if daring her to laugh and Lois tried to keep a straight face. "Well don't you miss Sam?" Chloe defended herself. Lois's smile faltered and her eyes looked distant. "Of course I miss him…when we talk on the phone it feels like he's standing right next to me. I just want him to be back as soon as he can, it's selfish because he needs to be out there and I want him to be here. But thank god, he's selfless; he knows what has to be done. Did Dean call?" she asked, her eyes focusing back on Chloe.

Chloe nodded, "Yeah, in fact he's called nearly twice a day. You know they're hunting a spirit, an angry one." She added as she looked at Lois. Lois nodded grimly, "Yeah…Sam was sketchy on the details. He didn't want to talk about the hunt too much so we just talked about other things." She replied. Lois had sensed the dark tone Sam had used when she had asked about the hunt. She had a feeling the hunt was getting slightly more personal than he had wanted.

Dean however was bright about the hunt and wasn't hesitant to tell Chloe all about it. She'd been happy to hear how easy he sounded. She knew he felt an odd ease at hunting and she was thankful he'd taken the decision to leave Smallville for it. You couldn't keep someone from doing what he or she was born to. Chloe couldn't even imagine what she'd been doing if she wasn't a journalist. "How are you holding up?" he had asked after his recount of their leads in the hunt.

She'd smiled grimly and said, "Well, I'm holding up." He had recognized the defeat in her voice and had asked, "Have you talked to Lana yet, since that day?" He had a feeling she hadn't and he was right. "No, talked to her? I haven't even faced her since that day." Dean had frowned at this although Chloe couldn't see it obviously. "You alright Chloe? Is she giving you any grief? Chloe I can come over as soon as you want me to if she is." He had said quickly.

"Dean, I'm…I'm alright okay? If it gets too much, I will call you. You just need to find that angry spirit and get rid of it quickly." Chloe had said heavily. "Yeah well you call me alright? I don't want Barbie calling me and telling me Lana's been giving you shit alright?" he had warned. Chloe had rolled her eyes slightly and said, "Dean stop making Lana sound like the bad guy here please." Dean had replied quickly and sharply. "I will when you stop treating yourself like the bad guy." Chloe sighed and had confirmed Dean that she was fine before telling him she loved him and hanging up.

Lois looked down at her watch and her eyes widened slightly. "Hey its almost lunch time." She said. Chloe shrugged, "You want to eat something?" she asked. Lois shook her head, "No, it's just that Martha wanted me to buy some groceries for her for lunch. I should start going…" she paused here and asked Chloe carefully, "Um, you want to come? Martha and Clark would really like it, they've been asking about you Chloe." Chloe shook her head immediately. "No, you should go. I can't go there Lois, not until Lana forgives me." She said abruptly. Lois looked like she wanted to argue but closed her mouth and nodded.

She got up slowly and tried again, "Chloe, Lana might not even-" but Chloe sighed and Lois shrugged. "Okay, you going home?" she asked picking up her handbag. Chloe nodded as she got up as well and said, "My head's hurting so I might just take a nap or something. I can't go back to work, the last thing I need is Perry's angry face in mine." She gave Lois a quick hug and they both started walking down the escalator to the car park. Lois turned to Chloe and asked, "How's Uncle Gabe? Did you find out what his appointment was for?"

Chloe shook her head, her lips pursing lightly. "I was supposed to follow him but my head wasn't in it. Too much happened that day, I should find out how it went for him." She added as her father's face wandered in her mind. Lois nodded sympathetically and stood beside her car. "Well tell me what's happening when you find out okay?" Chloe nodded and quickly hugged her before stepping away. Lois said bye before sitting in her car. She wound her window down and reminded Chloe to take care of herself, and rolled her eyes when Chloe made an impatient noise.

When she drove out Chloe reached her car and drove back home, her mind whirling around what Lois had said about Lana. She was suffering inwardly, keeping all the rest of her rage bottled up inside her, Chloe thought worriedly. She wished she could tell someone to look out for her, but there was no one who could without knowing what she had done. And Lois was partially right; Lana despised anyone who sided with Chloe right now. She'd listen to as much Lois said as she would to Chloe.

Chloe drove to her house and got out, pulling her keys out and entering her quiet hallway. She peered around, her father was supposed to be home. He'd started coughing so much that he'd decided to take the day off and she knew he didn't have anything important to do. "Dad?" she called as she placed her handbag and keys on the coffee table in the lounge room. There was no answer and Chloe checked the kitchen quickly. But her father wasn't there either and a trip up around the second floor revealed that he wasn't at home.

She frowned at this and quickly dialed his number on her phone. After a few rings, he picked up and she sighed, "Dad where are you? You're supposed to be resting at home." She heard her father attempt chuckling and bit her lip when he coughed again, this time sounding like he was coughing out a lung. "Dad?" she asked getting scared. "I'm fine Chloe…I was getting bored at home, so I decided to come over to Ron's" her father wheezed. Something tightened in Chloe's chest; she'd never heard her dad's voice so frail and wheezy. "Dad, where are you? Are you okay? Why are you wheezing?" she asked, hearing the fear mirror in her voice.

Her father coughed and spluttered again and she felt her body tense. Something wasn't right, her dad had never sounded this sick before, he'd never sounded this frail. But her father tried covering the weakness in his voice with a chuckle, "I'm fine, Chloe. I'm sitting here with Rob, and I'm fine. You're probably hearing static in the line or something." He reasoned unsuccessfully.

She started to argue with him but another voice started talking in the background and Gabe's voice rose slightly more loudly. "Um, Chloe I've got to go…Ron's got a game going, okay. Bye, I'll be home before dinner." He ended. Chloe opened her mouth to speak but the phone went engaged.

Chloe took a deep breath and shook her head, maybe he was just…no, she thought quickly. Something was wrong here and she couldn't doubt the sick tone in her father's voice. And her father didn't just get up and visit old friends when he was feeling so sick that he had to sleep in all day. She paced to and from the sofa and when she finally couldn't take it, Chloe pushed her hands down in frustration and picked up the phone again. She scrolled down the list of names until Ron's name came up.

Her finger paused for a second as she wondered if she should be so mistrusting of her father. But when his ailing voice resounded in her ears, she pressed the talk button quickly. She waited for a while and when she was about to hang up, a man's voice greeted her. "Um hello, is this Ron?" Chloe asked. "Yes it is, who's this?" the man asked. "Uh, this is Chloe Sullivan, Gabe's daughter…is he there with you?" she asked nervously.

Ron greeted her again, "Oh, Chloe…how are you" he asked. Chloe stretched a grin on her face and mumbled, "I'm fine." "Well, Gabe's not here. In fact he hasn't been around in a while, a couple of weeks in fact." Ron replied. Chloe frowned deeply and thanked him for the information before hanging up again. She sat down on the sofa and her mind thundered with the possibilities her father could be in. Why was he lying about where he was? What was he doing right now?

Chloe dialed her dad's number again only to find that his phone had been switched off. She growled quietly in frustration, knowing he'd probably turned his phone off because of her. She didn't understand why he was being so secretive, or even what he was being so secretive about. She didn't like being surrounded by secrets. With a pang she realized what it felt like to have secrets kept from you.

She sighed heavily and then shook her head; she'd keep trying every half hour until her dad finally answered his phone. Until then, Chloe decided to take a nap upstairs in her room. She'd had an aching head all day and while coffee had successfully subdued the pain for a while, it hadn't gotten rid of it completely. Chloe pulled a packet of aspirin out of the bedside drawers, popped two in her mouth and downed it with water.

Chloe closed her eyes and lay back in her bed. She felt tired, sick and worried. And she still couldn't get rid of the sound of her father's ailing voice. No matter how hard she tried to keep her eyes closed and to let her mind drift into the heavy sleep she'd been feeling all morning, the sleep wouldn't come. In fact now her mind seemed slightly more alert and she shut her eyes even more tightly.

Her thoughts strayed back to her father instead of disappearing altogether. What was he lying about? Her father didn't keep things from her unless they were serious. He sounded sick, very sick…but he was doing something about his health right? All those appointments he'd made and attended, they'd been to make him better right? If they were then why was he sounding sicker? Chloe felt irritated at the helplessness she felt right now…how was she supposed to find him?

She breathed slowly and tried to focus on clearing her mind, if she wasn't so nervous then maybe she could think of something. Usually she was good at thinking up ideas, finding secrets out-but when the matter came to her father, she couldn't even think straight. Suddenly something Dean said to her came floating back, "You know sometimes when you focus too hard on a question, you miss the answer-even when it's prancing around naked in your face."

Now Dean's absence was hitting her hard, and Chloe felt a lump form in her throat. There was too much happening, her dad's secrets, Lana's misery and Dean wasn't there to tell her everything was all right. Chloe's eyes snapped open and she glanced at her phone, sitting on the bedside table next to her. She could call him and talk on the phone? But he'd hear the sadness in her voice and wouldn't waste time in driving back to Smallville to be there with her.

No, Dean was really excited about this hunt; she couldn't just pull him out of it and risk people's lives. Chloe rolled onto her back again and closed her eyes, sleeping helped sometimes. And she didn't think so just because Dean had told her numerous times. But after five minutes of lying in her bed, trying to sleep unsuccessfully, Chloe growled in frustration. The average person usually fell asleep within seven minutes of going to bed; yeah-right Chloe thought. Even with her eyes closed, the sunlight was too bright. The bed felt really lumpy and uncomfortable. And did those stupid birds have to make so much noise? She let out a whoosh of breath and sat up quickly, she just couldn't sleep.

But it was odd, the sunlight was too bright in her closed eyes but her curtains didn't let in too much light. Her bed felt lumpy but it had been the most comfortable bed she'd ever slept in. And the birds, with their loud noise-they were always making noise, which she never minded before. It was just her nerves getting the better of her she decided.

Chloe got out of bed and walked back downstairs. It was weird feeling so restless in her own home, especially her own bed. She found herself pacing around the lounge room and then picked up the telephone. But her dad's phone was still switched off when she tried calling on it and she rolled her eyes at her luck. Where would he be? She questioned herself for the hundredth time. Suddenly something clicked in her mind. Hadn't her dad brought back an envelope from the clinic, which had some medicine bills in it? He'd thrown them back in the cupboard under the mantelpiece after going through them.

She quickly pulled the cupboard open and ruffled through the stack of papers until she found what she had been looking for. Dr. Allison Rogers's clinic office number was printed on the right hand corner of the couple of bills Chloe found and she took them with her to the phone nearby. If he insisted on pretending nothing was wrong with him, she'd find out for herself. The doctor would be able to give her some answers right?

Chloe dialed the number and waited as the line rang. A lady's voice said, "Good afternoon, Dr. Rogers clinic, how can I help you?" Chloe breathed slowly and asked hesitantly, "Um hi. I need to talk to Dr. Rogers…regarding one of her patients." "Dr. Rogers is not in today; she's attending to a very serious patient. She'll be in tomorrow, may I take a message?" the nurse asked. Chloe chewed her bottom lip gently in disappointment and mumbled, "No that's alright, I'll call later."

The nurse hung up and Chloe did the same before sighing tiredly. She picked up the bills and took them over to the cupboard to put them back when she saw a stack of photos near the back. Her curiosity pulled her into picking them up and flipping them over. Her breath caught up in her throat when she realized they were all photos of Lana and herself throughout their childhood together. Chloe had placed the photos here when she'd been sorting them out the other day.

She couldn't help herself from spreading them across the floor and staring at each of them in turn. There were photos of nearly every occasion in their lives, displayed as irreplaceable memories. A memory of the two girls aged 8 swinging on the swings. A memory of the two girls dressed up for Halloween. A memory of Chloe's 10th birthday, where she had insisted Lana cut the cake with her. A memory of the two giving Clark his birthday present. So many more memories of Chloe and Lana in elementary school, of the two in high school on a bright spring morning. She stroked the photos gently, feeling her eyes well up as she picked up a photo of them at a party, this time looking every bit the young adults they were.

She felt the tears slide down her cheeks as she noted how happy both of them looked, Lana's wide smile making the Chloe in the photo smile just as widely. She couldn't remember why they'd been smiling so much. In fact most of her photos with Lana had been of the two smiling widely, even the photos taken of the two covered in mud, of the two swamped in rain. They'd always been happy in each other's company.

She felt a lump form in her throat and she sobbed openly. How could she have been so stupid to think that after finding out what she had, Lana would forgive her? Would she have forgiven Lana if she'd done what Chloe had? No, Chloe didn't have such a big heart and she didn't expect Lana to expand hers either. But then again, Lana would never have cheated Chloe, like she had. Her conscience was too big and her loyalty was strong. Stronger than Chloe's, she had proved.

Lana had been her best friend, through every stage and ordeal in her life, and now Chloe had lost her forever. She'd lost her invaluable friendship forever because of a stupid and impractical feeling she'd felt for a man who hadn't been worthy of either of their love. But Chloe knew what she did was wrong, she regretted every moment that had passed by with Jason and she realized it meant nothing to her now. Now she could only see herself supporting Lana through every decision she took now. Even if the decision was ignoring Chloe for the rest of their lives.

Chloe swallowed thickly and closed her eyes. She couldn't mend any burnt bridges if she couldn't stop herself from breaking into tears every time she thought about Lana and the misery she was going through. When she opened her eyes she wiped the tears streaking down her cheeks fiercely and wiped her face with a tissue. Chloe stared at the wall, taking deep breaths and then got up. Sometimes Dean wasn't completely wrong, she thought to herself; sometimes you had to build a tough wall around your heart and put on a tough smile. Sometimes you had to look strong to become it.

The phone rang and it made Chloe jump in shock. She'd been in another world for so long, she'd forgotten where she actually was. Chloe sighed and hoped it was her father calling before getting up and answering the phone quickly. "Hello Chloe? It's me Trish. How are you holding up dear?" Trish's voice asked gently. Chloe gave a small smile and said,

"Oh, hey Trish…I'm feeling a bit better thanks. Is everything all right there? Do you want me to come back?" The other woman chuckled softly and replied, "Oh no. That's not why I called, no. I just called to tell you that Perry hasn't come around here except once to yell at Monica Stevens for handing the Runt article a day earlier, then she got a call from home and she had to leave. I don't think she noticed you weren't here at all."

Chloe felt relieved but at the same time shameful that she'd left her colleague so much work. "Trish I'm so sorry, you've probably got all this work to do and I'm-" she was cut off by Trish however when she said loudly, "Don't you start all that rubbish. It was an easy article finished a few hours after you left. It's sitting on your desk for tomorrow. Now I've got to go, Perry's gone home but work never stops. You take care of yourself, and see the doc if things get too bad alright?"

Chloe smiled again and thanked her, "Thank you so much Trish. I'll see you tomorrow, bye." She heard Trish reply a bye and then she hung up. She put her phone back on the mantle and stood in the middle of the lounge room uncertainly. She glanced back at the clock and vaguely remembered that the last time she'd tried her dad's phone had been ten minutes ago. She tried it again but got no answer, predictably and gritted her teeth in frustration. Her eyes strayed to the photos splayed out on the rug and she gathered them up with determined indifference before putting them all back into the back of the cupboard.

There was nothing left to do, except wait. Wait for her dad to call, to come home. Wait for Lana to see her repentance, to forgive her. Wait for Dean to come back, to make her feel warm again. And wait for the sleep to drown her for a while as she lay in bed, she added to her thoughts as she treaded up the stairs carefully. Her body's tension loosened at once and she realized how tired she had been this whole time. She'd managed to unintentionally keep her mind blank and in doing so, had felt her body groan with exhaustion.

Chloe thought back to breakfast and remembered she hadn't had any breakfast. That explained quite a bit. She wriggled deeper into her bed and closed her eyes in an easing manner. Her mobile phone was right next to her on her pillow and she opened her eyes to glance at it a last time before she drifted off to sleep. If her dad called, or Dean called she'd be able to hear the phone ring.

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Meanwhile, Lois had had just finished buying the last few items on the shopping list Martha had given her. She checked out at the counter and smiled quickly at the checkout girl before making her way back to her car. Honestly, she wanted to be with Chloe right now, Chloe needed someone there with her and Lois didn't want to leave her cousin when she needed her most. But Martha and Clark were getting suspicious about how happy she was with them. They'd mistaken the awkward and cold silences between Lana and Lois as Lois being unhappy with them and had made it a point to have a 'family' lunch.

As she drove her car through the noisy traffic, Lois ran a hand through her hair. Things were messed up all right, her cousin was going through depression and the three girls were being split into pieces. She understood what Lana was going through, the hurt she was feeling. It had been all to apparent when Lois had faced her the day she had found out. There had been an unspoken silence, a cold draft making her arms break out in goose bumps as she had stared at Lana and the tears running down her face.

She thought back to Lana's quiet whimper, "Lo-Lois, Chloe-Chloe she…she betrayed me." Lois gulped as she saw how bedraggled Lana looked. She didn't know why she said, "I know…" Maybe it was because she thought Lana had been through to many lies to have another one thrown at her. She didn't know how to meet her eyes filled with pain, when she felt so shamed herself.

Lois had looked up to see Lana stare at her as if seeing her for the first time. Her voice was controlled however it still quavered as she asked, "You knew…for how long?" Lois swallowed again and said in a quiet voice, "For a while…Chloe told me herself." The anger thundering in Lana's eyes had been voluminous and for the first time, Lois feared what Lana what would do next, to her or to herself she wasn't sure.

Lois stopped at a traffic light and wondered if she should call Dean and Sam to come back. But no, when she'd brought it up, Chloe had been clear that she didn't want Lois to call Dean, no matter what happened. "It's taken a lot for him to forget me for a few days and go back to hunting…I don't want him to forget about the people he's saving." Chloe had replied sternly. And although Lois had understood Dean and Sam's decision to go back to their hunt, she knew Dean would be really angry to find out what Chloe was going through right now. And she knew Chloe hadn't told Dean what she was really going through.

In a few minutes she had driven into the Kent's driveway and she started unloading the grocery bags. She saw Martha peer out through the window and she smiled back at the older woman when she saw her. The front door opened and Clark came striding out, a small grin on his face. "Need any help?" he asked. Lois grinned back, "That would be great farm boy, the bags are in the back." She motioned towards the trunk of the car.

Clark rolled his eyes but walked to the car and Lois proceeded into the house. Martha was making a salad at the kitchen counter and asked Lois where she had been. "Oh Chloe was on a coffee break so I joined her…" she trailed off as she thought about this small alteration. Chloe had technically taken a half-day but if Martha found out she would have pressured Chloe into having lunch with them (being the motherly person she was) and right now the last thing they needed was a showdown between Lana and Chloe.

As if reading along the same lines, Martha asked, "Why didn't you bring her along? It seems like it's been years since I've seen Chloe. She hardly comes around these days. Is everything all right?" Her eyes looked worried for a few moments and Lois quickly answered, "Yeah, everything's fine. Chloe's fine…she's just really busy with work and stuff. She's planning on coming round later some day." Lois lied. Martha smiled again and nodded, "Oh that's good. I was starting to think she'd forgotten us." Lois grinned back nervously.

"Um, Martha, should I go freshen up?" she asked, eager to get away from the questions for a while. Martha nodded as she set the salad on the dining table and said, "Oh yes, but don't be too long." Lois nodded tight-lipped and quickly started walking back upstairs. "Lois, would you call Lana down for lunch too?" Martha called to her retreating figure. Lois almost stopped but nodded and kept on walking.

She didn't know what Lana would say or do to her when she'd enter her room to call on her but she could feel her stomach jumping around with nervousness. Lois hurriedly splashed some water on her face and dried it off in the bathroom before walking to Lana's room and knocking on her door. She paused to listen for any noises and heard only silence from inside the room. Lois knocked again and this time Lana's deadbeat voice answered, "Yes?" Lois was quiet for a second and then she heard Lana's footsteps walk closer to the door.

She held her breath when the door opened and let it out slowly when Lana's sad face confronted her. But Lana's sad eyes fired up once she saw who it was and Lois clenched her limp palm. "Lana-" Lois started but Lana stared at her in anger and asked sharply, "What do you want?" Lois stared back at her carefully and said quietly; "Martha's calling you down for lunch…" she trailed off and wasn't surprised to see Lana still keep her less than friendly expression.

After a few seconds Lana gave a curt nod and made to close the door but Lois sighed and pushed a hand against the door to stop it. Lana glared again and said in an agitated voice, "I got it Lois," before trying to close the door again. But Lois was stubborn and she kept herself firmly planted between the wall and the door. "Lana we need to talk." She replied clearly. For a second she thought Lana hadn't heard her but a moment later Lana mocked on an expression of surprise and said with bitter laughter in her voice, "Talk?"

Lois nodded and Lana let the door fly wide open, "Yeah, talk…" she repeated as she walked into the room. Lana who had turned away, turned back and said in an a composed tone, "Talk? About what Lois…about the way Chloe and Jason both betrayed me? What do you want to talk about Lois…the way Chloe watched me hate him, love him while she was with him the whole time? I don't even know how to start to explain the hurt she put me through or the anger that courses through me when I see her face."

Lois was speechless as Lana asked these questions and she spluttered slightly as she tried to piece the words forming in her mind. "Lana…" she started but Lana glared at her icily and said, "I don't want to hear you defend Chloe…I'll be down in a minute." She turned her back on Lois again but this time Lois strode forward and grabbed Lana's hand. She turned her around and stared back into her icily fierce eyes with her own blazing ones.

She knew what both girls were going through…hurt and pain. Chloe had become so different to who she really was because of this affair, her eyes had become hollow and her usual smile had become so forced they'd been easily identified as fake. Lois had seen Chloe hollow out like an old tree from the inside after what had happened. She'd seen Chloe recover her lively personality; mend her broken spirit just to see it shatter again. Her happiness had been short lived however beautiful and now was crumbling before Lois's eyes, her as a witness.

And Lois had seen Lana's tearful eyes, seeped in no less pain than Chloe's. Her world had been turned upside down; Lois understood that, and of course felt for her more than she'd know. Lana had put Jason behind her with a lot of difficulty and had begun a new chapter in her life by looking to the future. Now after all these months, she was confronted by greater truth greater than any she could have imagined. Chloe was her best friend; of course it would hurt to hear she'd been an unfaithful friend with her unfaithful boyfriend.

But Lois also knew that there wasn't any way that Lana could cut Chloe away from herself completely. When you'd grown up with someone, seen all their bad times and good times, gone through so many experiences together; it wasn't possible to cut that person away. No matter how mad Lana was at Chloe, she'd end up letting go of the bitter feelings she had towards Chloe.

Lois took a deep breath and started with what she had to say, "Lana, I didn't come here to defend Chloe, because what she did was wrong…I'm not denying it and neither does she. But what she did back then didn't make her happy Lana. She made a mistake." Lois added quietly. Lana's eyes were steeled over, "A mistake is made once Lois but when that mistake goes on for months and its repeated again and again, it's no longer a mistake. And what she did, it's past forgiveness." She replied in a serious tone.

Lois tried to explain again, "She regrets every moment she hurt you Lana! She could've kept this in her for much longer…she could've kept you in this dark secret all your life." Lana threw her hands down to her sides, "Oh and what am I supposed to do? Thank her for finding the bloody time to let me in on it? What do you want me to do Lois? Tell her I'm fine with her screwing my boyfriend behind my back and that a 'sorry' can solve everything?" She asked, her harsh tone making Lois flinch.

"I'm not saying you have be her best friend again Lana…you guys might never be able to recover from this completely, but if you can find it in you to forgive her…you don't know how depressed she's been for you." Lois replied quickly, brushing away the coldness surrounding the two of them and their words. Lana glowered at her and said, "Well I'm not sorry that I can't forgive her for what she did. I can never forgive Chloe and Jason for cheating on me behind my back…there's too much pain. On her part, she deserves it." Lana spat out the last few words. Lois and Lana glared at each other and then Lois sighed.

"This isn't going the way I planned it. I just wanted you and Chloe to go back to the way you both used to be…I don't like seeing my best friends fall apart because of this…Martha's waiting for you downstairs." Lois said before walking out of the door. She gasped as she bumped into someone and frowned. When she glanced up, her mouth fell open as she saw Clark look down at her sternly. Oh no, Lois thought to herself, did he hear anything? The answer was written all over his face and Lois bit her lip. This wasn't going to go down well; she knew it and she looked back into Lana's room to see her looking back out at them questioningly. She obviously didn't know what was happening outside.

Lois tried to move past Clark but didn't feel him move from her path, which increased her fear. His eyes were narrowed down and seemed to be x-raying her (which was scaring her already). When she saw a pulse twitching in his jaw, she set her own and said quickly, "Clark I need to get through." Clark glared down at her and she looked up at him in an equally stern glance. "Is this all true?" he asked seriously as he kept her steady stern glance. "You don't have anything to do with this Clark, so stay out of it please." Lois replied quickly, still avoiding his gaze.

Clark frowned and said, "Stay out of it? Lois, I can't believe you're telling me to stay out of it when this involves my best friend and my girlfriend." Lois looked up at him, what he was saying was true; they couldn't hide this from him when it involved two important people in his life. But she was scared of what he'd say, of whom he'd judge once he found out.

She sighed, "Clark, you need to try and get Lana to understand." Clark looked back at her sharply. "Get her to understand?" he asked, Lois looked slightly surprised and nodded. "Yeah, she has to forgive Chloe." She answered. Clark looked at her carefully and then said slowly, "Lois Lana doesn't need to understand anything. What Chloe did was wrong, beyond wrong. How could she cheat out her best friend with a guy like Jason? How could Chloe keep such a big secret from us?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Lois groaned inwardly, she'd hoped he didn't jump to sides. "Clark…" she began. But Clark shook her head. "I don't how you can see Chloe as the right one in this Lois, even if you are her cousin. What she did broke everyone's trust in her Lois…she's the one who needs to understand that things like can't just be patched up when she gets caught." He said unsympathetically. Lois stared at him, shouldn't he be more understanding? He knew what Chloe was like; he knew she'd never intentionally hurt someone. Then why was he turning a deaf ear to her side of the story? But Lois didn't get to ask because after giving her a disappointed look Clark turned and walked into Lana's room, closing it loudly behind him.

As she wandered back downstairs shakily, she wandered if she should tell Chloe that Clark knew. But she knew Chloe would become even more depressed if Clark started berating her as well. And she didn't want her to feel worse than she did. Lois shook her head subconsciously as she decided she wouldn't let Clark confront Chloe about this.

She smiled slowly at Martha who was setting down the roast she'd made on the table. "Where's Lana? Did you tell her to come down Lois?" she asked sitting down at the table. Lois nodded faintly and Martha looked up at the stairs, "Where's Clark gone? He was here a minute ago." She said looking up towards the stairs. Lois sat down quickly and answered without looking up, "He's upstairs talking to Lana. They're both coming down in a minute." Martha looked satisfied with the answer and nodded.

Lunch was grim, well for everyone except Martha who didn't know anything. She chatted normally and after a few comments on how quiet it was, Clark and Lois joined in the occasional conversation with her; and awkwardly with each other. Lana of course was just as quiet as she'd always been at the dining table since she had found out about Chloe and Jason but Martha didn't ask too many questions. The girl had had her demons and Martha had learnt not to prod into them too much; sometimes you had to let people fight their own fights and their own fears.

After lunch Lois and Lana helped Martha clean up until Lois saw Clark head out for the door. Her eyes widened as she realized he was probably going to Chloe's house to tell her off and she quickly excused herself to run out to the porch after him. "Clark!" she yelled as he started walking down the steps. He stopped and turned around and when he saw who it was he sighed, "What is it Lois?" he asked. Lois glanced back towards the house and then at Clark, trying to read his face. "Where are you going Clark?" she asked. He was surprised to hear the slight fear in her voice.

"Out." He replied shortly. Lois's expression turned into frustration, "Out where?" she asked. Clark glared at her again, "I don't have to tell you where I go. Its none of your business." He replied. Lois rubbed her forehead with her hand, and he turned, walking towards his mother's Ute at a surprisingly fast pace. Lois tried to keep up with him, while she called, "Clark, don't go there…please." But he got in the car and gave her a last careful glance before driving out of the driveway. Lois watched him go, in fear of what was going to happen. She bit her bottom lip nervously and treaded back towards the house.

As she glanced towards it she saw Lana's stoic face watching out from the front window. Their eyes met and she suddenly felt tired of this whole ordeal. Nothing was going to come out of it apart from hurt and it didn't look as though it was going to get any better any time soon. It would take a miracle for Lana and Chloe to put this all behind them and Lois wasn't one to believe in miracles.

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Clark drove through the dying traffic Lois had waded through almost an hour ago. His mind had become so bogged with what he had heard back home, he didn't know what to do. What he had heard had been shocking at the least and hurtful. How could Chloe even think about cheating Lana, and with Jason of all people? Clark had never thought his best friend, who had never betrayed his friendship, would betray the bond she had with Lana.

He was angry with her for betraying them all. Seeing Lana so miserable was like watching a rose wilt and die. Clark had always wanted to see Lana happy, and he'd wanted the same for Chloe. But not at the cost of her happiness being Lana's pain. As he reached Chloe's house, he turned off the engine and got out, trying to keep his anger and discomfort under check. Lois hadn't been any better, she had obviously known for a while about what Chloe had done. But still, she had not only kept quiet but also taken Chloe's side on the whole matter. What Chloe had done was wrong, there wasn't a way to justify cheating with your best friend's boyfriend, and there wasn't an easy forgiveness for it either.

There was still a hopeful disbelief in him, maybe Lana got it wrong; maybe Lois misinterpreted whatever it was Chloe said? He knocked the door and was surprised to have it answered almost straight away. He hadn't known what to expect but he hadn't expected to see such a pale and tired looking Chloe. She looked back at him in surprise for a few seconds before smiling tiredly and saying, "Clark hey, what are you doing here?" He stared at her awkwardly, as if seeing her for the first time and said in an unreadable tone, "Can I come in?" Chloe's smile faltered slightly at the formalness he was using but nodded and gave way for him.

When she'd closed the door and looked back at him, she could tell something was wrong. It just wasn't like Clark to be staring at her like she was a stranger. "Clark is everything all right?" she asked sighing. Clark's eyebrows narrowed slightly, "You look tired Chloe." He said quietly. Chloe who looked at him alarm when he disregarded her question, looked away and replied, "Umm, yeah…didn't get much sleep." She shivered when she felt his eyes staring her down and she looked up to see his jaw twitch faintly.

Chloe had only heard Clark use the tone he did now with Lex and her stomach started to feel queasy again as he said, "Yeah, that probably happens when you've just been caught out cheating your best friend." Her eyes widened and she stammered, "Wh-what are you talking about?" although she knew what he was hinting. Clark's green eyes glinted and he said with clear displeasure in his voice, "You know exactly what I'm talking about Chloe, if you still don't then you must have stooped pretty low." It stung Chloe like a whip across the face and she felt her throat close up. Clark knew about it too? And it was clear he wasn't here to acknowledge his support towards her.

Chloe let out a shaky breath and sat down onto the sofa quickly. Her eyes darted around the floor and she gripped the sofa arm tightly. "How did you find out?" she asked. Clark stayed where he was although he didn't like the way she looked so beaten out. "I heard Lois and Lana arguing about it…and Lana's been looking miserable for ages." He said slowly, but his voice was still hard. Chloe swallowed and she looked up at him silently.

After a few more minutes, she said weakly, "I never wanted this to happen…. none of it. I never wanted to hurt Lana, never." Clark's jaw twitched, "But it did happen Chloe, and you did hurt her…you both did." He replied swiftly. Chloe's lips trembled, "I-I don't know how it happened Clark…but I regret every moment of it, every moment I had to lie to her, I hated it all. You don't know how sorry I am." She whispered. There was another few minutes of silence and then Clark asked, "How could you even think about it Chloe? We all trusted you so much…I never thought you'd ever do anything like this.

Chloe had promised herself she wouldn't let any more tears fall from her eyes only a few hours earlier. But now she felt them welling up again and she closed them so Clark wouldn't see them. Her breath was shaking as she whispered, "I don't know how it happened Clark…I don't know what he did to make him so important to me then, to make me trust him so much, more than myself and more than my own judgment…I just don't know Clark." Clark felt himself soften at the sight of his best friend break in front of him but Lana's miserable face kept floating in his mind, stopping the sympathy he was trying to feel for Chloe.

But he let down the harsh tone he'd been using until now when he asked hoarsely, "What about our trust in you Chloe, huh?" Chloe felt cold, like she'd been left buried six feet under thick freezing snow but she still answered. "It was always there, in the back of my mind…. but that was my biggest mistake, the one that lead me to my other mistakes. My biggest mistake, letting my conscience take a back seat…. and letting his words get to me." She looked up as she said this and saw that the hatred she'd been expecting now, wasn't there…but neither was the understanding expression she'd hoped for deep inside. Clark had never been an easy person to read and this time was no exception.

Clark sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair worriedly. He looked back at her with concern and a mix of sadness and accusation. "Chloe, you did make a mistake…a really big one, and I don't know if Lana could ever forgive you. And even if she can't forgive you, I can't forget that you're my best friend and that you've been here for me whenever I've needed you. What you did was definitely wrong and you know that, but I can see you regret it and I can't see you looking the way you do, eaten up because of it." He said all this quickly and Chloe could sense a 'but' coming. She nodded slowly and waited for him to go on. Clark glanced at the floor before looking back at her again. He rubbed the back of his neck and continued more slowly this time.

"I know how sorry you are, and I forgive you for hiding a truth like this from me…but Chloe, I can't just…I can't just forget that…that." Clark didn't know how to say what he had to. Clark had felt angry and hurt over what Chloe had done and how she had hid the truth from them all especially him. He had come over determined to tell Chloe off and tell her he wasn't going to bother even pretending to be her friend after what she'd done. But after seeing what state Chloe was in, and after hearing her heart felt apology, he couldn't bring himself to word what he'd come to say.

Chloe watched his face show signs of opposing feelings running through him and she understood what he was trying to say. "You can't forget what I did?" she asked. Clark looked up at her quickly, "No, well yes I mean I can't forget what you did exactly…I mean Chloe, I can't support you through this even if I wanted to, because if I support you know, Lana's going to shatter completely. I want things to be just like they used to Chloe. You guys were best friends before all of this…we were all best friends before all of this." Clark corrected himself before going on. "And if this fight ends up consuming you guys, I'm going to lose both my best friend and the girl I love." He concluded more strongly.

He glanced at Chloe's silent face and was surprised to see her smile warmly. She got up and walked over to him. When she spoke, he could hear the relief in her voice. "You need to be with Lana…and you can't support me when I'm the one who's done the wrong thing." He knew she was right and he also knew that she'd never intentionally hurt the ones she loved. Clark nodded and when Chloe hugged him, he hugged her back and patted her back warmly. "Don't worry, she'll find a way to get over this as well…she's been best friends with you since you were kids, Lana can't tear herself away from you. I'll try to make her understand." He said as he let go.

Chloe smiled weakly, "I don't think she'll want to hear anything about me…but Clark, promise me that you'll agree with every decision she makes…okay? If she wants to hate me forever than you won't go out of your way to change that Clark, because I've made a promise to myself that I'm going to respect every decision Lana makes about me and against me. I've hurt her enough, now I need to be a better friend than I was before." Clark stared at her for a moment and then nodded quickly.

He walked towards the door and said to her, "I should go now, don't put yourself through hell because of all this happening between you and Lana…just keep your mind away from all of this." He said this seriously and Chloe felt a smile splay across her usually sad face. "Thanks Clark." She murmured before she let him out and closed the door.

When Clark had left Chloe sighed in relief. That visit hadn't gone how she'd imagined it would've it had been much better. She had always thought that Clark saw nothing beyond his love for Lana. She had always presumed he'd always be siding with Lana in every moment of their lives. But he'd been surprisingly supportive and understanding…it made her feel slightly stronger than her usual self.

Chloe wandered over to the sofa and sat down again. The nap had proven useful, her head no longer killed and she felt more refreshed; whether it was because of her new found support from Clark or the nap, she didn't really know. Her phone rang and she answered it, "Hey." She greeted Lois when she recognized her voice. Lois sounded nervous as she asked, "Hey, Chloe…is everything alright? Clark's coming over, I tried to stop him from going but-" her frantic voice was stopped when Chloe quickly said, "I know Lois, he just left." There was a pause on the other end while Lois seemed to hold her breath for what would follow.

"What happened? Are you alright?" she asked finally. Chloe smiled and replied, "Don't worry Lois, Clark actually understands…he knows how sorry I am." Although Chloe couldn't see this, Lois was smiling widely on the other end. "Really? Oh, thank god…the way he left, I thought he was going to go over and make you feel worse than you did already…" she admitted. Chloe said seriously, "Yeah…it looked like he would at first but then we talked and he realized I never wanted to hurt anyone. He knows what I did was really wrong and that Lana might not forgive me, and we've both agreed on him staying by Lana's side through this whole ordeal."

Lois made a noise and said, "But now that he knows…" Chloe shook her head gently and said quietly, "Lois, he has to be there for Lana…I don't want her left by herself when she's so vulnerable. And I've got you and Dean with me…for me its enough that Clark knows how sorry I am. Lana needs him much more than I do, she loves him." Lois sighed and replied, "Yeah… I guess he needs to be her rock throughout this time…I'm glad he listened to you, at least he can try to make Lana understand." Chloe didn't say anything about Clark trying to persuade Lana to forgive Chloe because she didn't want him or anyone else to force Lana to make a decision she didn't want to.

Then Lois asked a question that made Chloe stand up quickly from her seat on the sofa, "Hey is Uncle Gabe back from the hospital?" Chloe's eyes widened, the hospital? "What? Dad was at the hospital? Which hospital? When did you see him?" she asked quickly running a hand through her hair. Lois frowned at her panicked voice but told Chloe, "I saw him this morning, he was in Smallville Hospital, I thought he was probably going in for an appointment…is he all right Chloe?" she asked in concern. Her uncle's worsening health hadn't gone unnoticed by her.

Chloe sounded very worried now as she said, "I don't know Lois, I haven't seen him this whole day…and when I called him he sounded so sick. Something is definitely wrong Lois, he didn't talk to me properly and he's not where he said he was. There's something seriously wrong if he's lying to me about his whereabouts. Lois did you talk to him?" she asked. Lois said no, "I was in my car and just passing by so I didn't get to. Do you want me to come with you?" she asked.

Chloe swallowed slowly and said, "No that's alright…um, we've got some issues to sort out. I'll talk to you later okay." "Okay…just make sure you call me later okay? You've got to tell me what's going on okay?" Lois confirmed, to which Chloe agreed and hung up. She looked around the living room for a few moments and then quickly grabbed her jacket before slipping on her shoes. As soon as she did she was out of the house and in her car, her brain going through the obvious signs she was trying to work around. While she drove speedily (cars beeping horns while she did-however she wasn't completely reckless) her teeth dug into her bottom lip as anxiety ran through her.

While for her it seemed like hours and hours of driving to the nearby Smallville hospital, it was only in a matter of minutes thanks to her speedy driving that she was parked into the hospital's car park. With a scared sigh, Chloe got out of the car and walked quickly into the hospital foyer. It was busy as usual and the nurse at the front desk looked irritated when Chloe approached her. She glanced up at Chloe and asked her what she was there for.

Chloe was quick to answer, "I need to know if a person named Gabe Sullivan was here today," she told her. The nurse looked at her in annoyance and said, "Miss, hundreds of people come here everyday, I'm not a computer who stores their names in her head-you need to give me details." Chloe frowned at her and said hurriedly, "He's been coming here for check ups…umm, and I think his doctor's name was Dr. Rogers…Allison Rogers." The nurse sighed impatiently and said, "Look we're not allowed to access any of the doctor's patient lists or files." Chloe growled in frustration and muttered back, "This is really urgent! He's my dad and he could be lying in this hospital sick, please just try and find out where he is."

The nurse sighed again and said crossly, "Fine…" she picked up the phone next to her and dialed some numbers. After a few minutes she turned to Chloe and replied, "Gabe Sullivan is in Intensive Care, room number 24…Dr. Rogers wants you to see her first, and her office is two rooms down." She left Chloe standing with her mouth slightly apart; her dad was in intensive care? She felt herself shiver involuntarily and she swiftly made her way up to the intensive ward unit.

As she walked down the much quieter and emptier hallways, reasons as to why her father was up here made their way into her head. She tried to shut these things thoughts out of her head but she realized that they might be apart of the fast approaching reality she was heading towards. She passed many rooms until she reached room 24 but when she reached it, she remembered that she was supposed to see Dr. Rogers before she saw her father. Chloe knocked on the Doctor's door and waited until she opened the door.

Dr. Allison's face showed subtle signs of surprise on her face when she answered the door. She smiled back at Chloe uncertainly before asking her if she wanted some help with anything. Chloe smiled back lamely and asked, "Dr. Rogers, is…is my father Gabe Sullivan…he…. he" Chloe struggled with her words as she tried asking about her father. Dr. Rogers suddenly asked, "Are you Gabe's daughter?" Chloe nodded quickly and Dr. Rogers looked relieved. She stepped aside and motioned Chloe into her office. "Please come inside, I need to talk to you, it's very important." Again, Chloe felt a shiver run down her spine at these words (they didn't sound positive) and she stared at the doctor anxiously.

When they'd both sat down, Dr. Rogers started in a grave voice. "Miss. Sullivan, I'm glad you're finally here…I've been wanting to tell you about your father ever since he was first diagnosed but because of the absence of his permission, the hospital is not allowed to share any medical information with anyone he doesn't want to…in fact the only people we are allowed to disclose any information to without the patient's approval is the police. So you must understand that we had no choice but to follow you're father's wishes." Chloe nodded impatiently and Dr. Rogers understood she wanted her to move on.

"But what's wrong with my father, how is he right now…in fact why is he even in here in intensive care?" Chloe asked, her hands gripping the edge of the desk. Dr. Rogers glanced at her uncomfortably and put a hand over hers on the desk. "Chloe, you're father came to me first a few months ago…he was very sick and at first I thought he was just suffering from bronchitis. But soon when the medicine I prescribed didn't have any effect on him, we started a string of tests and the reports weren't encouraging."

Chloe frowned and said worriedly, "But dad didn't even let me know about coming here…I thought he'd just started taking appointments a few weeks ago." She watched as Dr. Rogers face grew slightly more uncomfortable. "Yes, again, the confidentiality code we share…well, he'd been getting seconds opinions from the hospitals he visited while he was in different countries during his business trip, but all those reports were also conclusive with the ones tested here. Then after a few scans and more detailed tests, we found out what your father's diagnosis was," she continued.

Chloe's eyes were wide and her heart was beating fast…she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear what he was diagnosed with. Couldn't they just find a way to make him better and keep him that way without telling her what was wrong? But no, she had to hear this if she wanted to put an end to this string of lies her father was telling. If she wanted to know what it was he was hiding, she had to hear the whole truth, not just the easy parts.

It felt like her mouth hadn't moved at all when she heard herself ask, "What is he diagnosed with?" The doctor looked at her carefully and said in a pained voice, "I'm sorry Chloe, your father in his last stage of lung cancer…." Chloe's eyes snapped up at her face as she said this and everything around them seemed to stop. She could hear nothing apart from the resounding sentence the doctor had uttered.

Chloe stumbled out of her seat and gaped at Dr. Rogers, her eyes fixed on the sympathetic looking doctor as her throat closed up. How could the doctor say that? How could she be listening to such a weighted truth for the first time? Why hadn't anyone told her? The doctor answered the unanswered questions almost immediately. "Like I mentioned before because of discretion codes we weren't able to inform you of anything that was happening…you're father was strictly against disclosing any information to you. In fact it wasn't until now that I was finally able to find loopholes in the hospital's discretion policy and tell you. As the only family he has left, I believe you are entitled to know the truth about your father's cancer."

Chloe mouth trembled as she stammered out; "Ho-how long has he?" she stopped here. Dr. Rogers took a deep breath and said quickly, "He's had cancer for the past year, and it's had rapid progress until now. Chloe we've tried our complete best to do everything possible…but he just hasn't been responding to anything at all, in fact his health has been declining more than ever."

Chloe's eyes snapped back to the doctor's and she whipped out at her, "Maybe you haven't tried everything. Things only get worse before they get better right? You're the doctor aren't you, then why aren't you doing anything?" She glared at Dr. Allison and was slightly surprised to see her glare back at her momentarily (although she didn't let it show). The doctor's tone was clipped as she replied, "We are doctors Miss. Sullivan, not gods…and we've tried everything possible to keep your father from falling into the deeper stages of cancer. But it saddens me to say that he checked in too late…yesterday, he suffered from an attack-it was so severe that he was admitted here at once."

The young blonde, felt her legs weaken at this new revelation. "He-he had an attack?" she asked. Dr. Rogers nodded solemnly and added, "We tried to contact you when it happened this morning but it seems you were at work, and your father hasn't supplied us with any other numbers to contact you by apart from your home phone number." Chloe swallowed the thick bile pooling in her throat as she realized her father had wanted to keep this all from her.

Her eyes were moist but she didn't let her tears fall just yet. Dr. Rogers was looking at her worriedly but Chloe asked her calmly, "How long does he have?" She looked back at Chloe with a gentle expression and replied, "His reports are suggesting until another ten hours but of course we can't pin point exactly when…if he manages to exert his lungs he will probably have two or three hours more than that." Chloe gripped her hands into tight balls as she heard her and asked quietly, "Can I see him?" Dr. Rogers nodded straight away and added as she got up with Chloe, "I recommend calling anyone you need to, friends and family…"

Chloe nodded numbly and walked out of the office, distantly hearing Dr. Rogers tell her what room her father was in. She walked in a fast pace, the white walls scaring her already…with the corridors empty and her footsteps resounding in her ears, she felt like she was already dead…like she was visiting her dad in heaven; not the hospital. She stopped outside room 24 and rubbed her face tiredly. She didn't know where to begin with or where to start. There was an odd beating to her heart, like it was a ticking clock counting down the final minutes she had with her father. The doctor had said he had twelve or so hours left, but compared to the life Chloe had spent with her dad these hours seemed more like minutes, seconds even.

Her dad-the person she had loved the most in her whole life. She'd spent every minute of her life relying on him even without realizing it and mostly taking it for granted. But now, when his time was near she valued every second spent with him and she was ready to bring all those moments back at the cost of anything. Where all those years had flown she didn't know but these last moments were going to be etched into her mind, every minute and every word recorded in her mind for as long as she lived.

Chloe took a shaky breath and opened the door, pressing her lips together so he wouldn't be able to see her mouth tremble with the grief she felt. The room was like every other room in the hospital, except that his bed was the only one in it. Her hands ran cold as she glanced at the drips and IV needles attached to him and the beeping heart monitor amongst other medical machines she didn't know anything about. Her steps were fearful and hesitant as she walked towards her father, lying on the hospital bed looking the sickest she'd ever seen him.

Her stomach lurched at the blue circles under his eyes, and the whiteness of his skin. His eyes were half closed and his breathing was slow and faint. She could only see this from the slightest rising of his chest because of the mask he was breathing from. There was a plastic chair next to the bed and as she moved into it, she could see her father's eyes following her silently. When she sat down, she stared back into his dark eyes, watching her own face being reflected through them.

Finally as she struggled to start with how she felt, the corners of her dad's eyes crinkled and she knew he was smiling underneath his mask. Chloe's lips began to tremble again and she said softly, "Dad, I'm so sorry I didn't look after you." Her eyes blurred as she said this but didn't miss him try to shake his head. The crinkles around his eyes were gone and he looked more serious now. "I'm so sorry dad…" Chloe broke off as her voice became thick and the tear she had tried to fend off started rolling down her cheeks. Gabe lifted a hand as she cried to her head slowly and she let her head bury into the spot next to him of his bed.

Her muffled cries rang in Gabe's ears as he watched his daughter crumble because of his cancerous state. He rubbed her head, slowly not wanting to hear her cry…it was the main reason he'd kept all of this from her. All this pain and all this worry wasn't something he wanted to see on his daughter's face. Of course he hated lying to her every time she asked him if he was alright, and seeing her face grow wary every time he'd start coughing uncontrollably had been enough to make him feel guilty. But Gabe Sullivan knew that something was eating his daughter up from the inside, she hadn't told him anything about it.

After seeing him so sick, he knew that she would probably try to save him from hearing any bad news of any sort, but he was her father-he'd seen her fight through silent battles long before she knew what they were. His daughter led a complicated life, and it amused Gabe to realize that he'd become used to it now. Because whatever the problem was, Chloe had always put on a brave face and had waded through it. But through the last few weeks, the last few months when he had found out he wasn't going to make it, he just couldn't bring himself to say it, he just couldn't bring himself to see her crumble every day like how she was crumbling now.

Chloe looked up, her head turning up to him slowly and he saw with an ache that tears were still seeping out of her eyes. Her words were thick and it sounded as though her throat was crushed as she whispered, "Dad, why didn't you tell me? I've been so selfish…I couldn't even tell you were at this stage. Why didn't you tell me?" she asked again, crying harder when she saw tears forming at the corners of his crinkled eyes. She looked at him from her lowered eyelids and saw that he had a pained look on his face. And she knew it had more to do with the tears that were falling fast from her eyes, rather than the pain that was probably riddling him right now thanks to the cancer.

His hand shook as he lifted it to hers and when he gave a gentle squeeze, she squeezed back tightly; all her fear being displayed through the gesture. It seemed she had more of a bond with her father than she thought. Chloe could tell what her father was trying to say; he didn't like to see her crying. She had always been aware that he'd always been proud of her strong personality and her resilient nature. And he hated seeing her cry or breakdown.

Suddenly she realized why her father had kept this from her. She had hid something from him too, because she loved him too much to bother him with her problems and that was her father's way of thinking as well. When you see the one you love unconditionally going through a few problems of their own, you don't laden them with yours. He didn't tell her about what he'd found out because he couldn't see her crying over him like she was doing now.

Chloe got up slowly, looking at him carefully as she wiped her face clean with the tissues sitting on the hospitable bedside table. She cleared her throat and smiled at him bleakly. "I know…you don't want to see me cry dad. See, I made you cry as well." She added as she wiped her father's tears as well with her fingers. Gabe's eyes were still moist however even after she'd dried his face. If there was one person he'd found the most strongest and admirable during his life, it would be his daughter who knew how to keep herself together for everyone else's sake.

Chloe squeezed his hand more firmly and said in a clearer tone, "Dad I'm going to be here with you every moment now…okay? I'm going to be by your side every time you open your eyes. Don't worry about anything, I'm here."

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Lois had been loading the dirty dishes into the washing machine when her cell phone had rung. She dried her hands quickly and answered the phone at once when she saw it was Chloe. "Hey Chloe," she answered. Chloe was silent on the other end and for a few seconds Lois stiffened, wondering if something bad had happened. "Hey Lois…I really need to talk to you." Chloe's voice came out and Lois noticed it sounded scared although Chloe was trying to make her tone sound normal.

She frowned immediately and asked, "Chloe what's wrong? Why do you sound so scared? Where are you?" Lois was already locating her jacket and keys. Chloe waved these questions aside and just said. "Meet me at Smallville Hospital front foyer. Please be quick." Then the line went dead and Lois was left staring at the phone in her hand. Something was wrong and Lois could feel her body shiver as she thought of all the possible answers as to what had happened to make Chloe sound so freaked out.

Lois quickly pulled her jacket on and she walked briskly out of the Kent's house, locking it behind her as both Clark and Martha were out. She sat in her car and pulled out of the driveway, wondering what was happening. The last time she'd seen Chloe, she'd been enquiring after her dad, uncle Gabe…Lois's eyes widened as she thought about it. This had something to do with Uncle Gabe, and with the way Chloe had sounded, it wasn't any good news.

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Sam ducked as the spirit of Madeline Laurie struck the spot where he'd been standing with her blood splattered meat cleaver. He gasped and fired at her with the rock-salt loaded shotgun. She vanished momentarily and he yelled over his shoulder, "Dean! What are you doing?" He'd been ducking the furious spirit for nearly five minutes.

"What do you think I'm doing Sam? If you haven't noticed yet, I'm looking for her freaking coffin!" Dean yelled back snappishly, it was the tiniest bit puzzling finding an unmarked tomb within a graveyard full of around fifty or so unmarked graves. Sam found himself running through the thick trees as he glimpsed Madeline's angry face in the corner of his eyes.

"Well, could you hurry up before she gets even more mad and succeeds in killing me?" He shouted as he tried to shoot her again. Her face formed a grimace and she shrieked her rage while taking a close swipe at him with her meat cleaver. Dean's voice was more agitated now as he yelled back, "And if you don't stop distracting me Sam **I'm** going to kill you!"

Sam didn't answer as he momentarily felt her hot stinky breath against his neck. He froze for a second, hoping to god that Dean had suddenly become much more frenzied in his digging because he'd found the right grave. He turned around slowly, watching Madeline Laurie pull her meat cleaver high above her head, with the same maniacal smile on her face, which had been there ever since the girl had been found dead in her apartment. Sam swallowed nervously and eyed it carefully, while at the same time taking small steps backwards.

Just as she was bringing her cleaver down, Dean yelled out in triumph and Sam sighed in relief. He heard a match fizzle and in less than a few seconds, Madeline shrieked in pain as her whole spirit form twisted and wrangled. Then she exploded into black smoke whisked away. Sam looked up at the dark black sky and shook his head gently, a small (very small-just so that Dean didn't see him) smile playing on her lips.

Dean's crunching footsteps stopped short as he came into view. He looked just like they nearly always did while on a hunt- dirty, clothes ripped & torn, cuts and bruises but a satisfied grin on their faces. "A second later and I would've been dead." Sam informed a smug looking Dean. Dean looked affronted right away. "Dude I just saved your skinny ass. All you had to do was run around like a pansy," he scoffed. Sam glared at him and Dean just grinned in reply.

They made their way back to the Impala, standing against the woods' backdrop looking every bit the magnificent classic it was. Dean unlocked the car and got into it, ruffling his hair loose of any dead leaves that always managed to get caught in them. Sam got in as well and he tossed Dean his cell phone. "I think you've got a message." He said as Dean started the ignition. Dean picked up his phone and Sam watched with concern as his eyebrows narrowed sharply as he read it.

"What is it? Another case?" Sam asked. Dean shook his head and tore his eyes away from his phone. His eyes had lost all its tease for the moment and he looked dead serious. "Chloe's dad is dying in hospital. Lois just sent this…Sam we need to get to Smallville, fast." He added, speedily pulling the car out of its parking space. Sam's eyes were full of questions but he nodded quickly and kept silent for the meanwhile.

Omg, Im so sorry ppl, I'm the worst author when it comes to updating. And I know I said this was the last chapter but I couldn't fit everything in this one chapter because I didn't want to compromise with the pace and quality of the writing and the storyline. So there will be one more chapter (but I promise there wont be more than that) because honestly, I'm getting tired of this story now…its been going on for ages! Thanks a million to all the ppl who review…I love you all sooo much; it really is the only reason I don't drop the story because random reviews (actually all reviews) motivate me. Thanks for holding up. Keep reading and plz plz keep reviewing.

**Verina100**


	11. Chapter 11

Nobody Knows This Secret

- 39 -

**Nobody Knows This Secret**

_Hey ppl this is my first sn/sv fanfic so I hope you like it. I always wondered what it would have been like if Chloe and Jason had been together instead of Jason and Lana. But Im still hoping for a dean/chloe crossover episode. I don't own anything from smallville or supernatural, none of the characters, places etc. I __**wish**__ I owned the Winchester boys. Im just building a story here. Enjoy and plz plz plz review. Thanks_

**Chapter Eleven**

Lana sat in front of the TV, mesmerized and angry at the video she was replaying. It was of Chloe's 10th birthday party and the images playing right now were of Lana and Chloe both cutting the cake. The younger Lana was smiling widely at Chloe and Clark who stood nearby, and Lana wished she were a child again. It never hurt so much when you were a child, betrayal was unknown, pain was just physical and friends were family; like a strong brick wall, supportive and always there. She swallowed forlornly and rewound the tape to the beginning, where preparations for the party had begun. But although she was watching the tape, her mind was still deep in thoughts.

She didn't know what she was more betrayed by, the fact that Chloe would have an affair with her best friend's boyfriend, or that she had the affair with Jason of all people. Jason, someone who had hurt Lana so much on his own. For some strange reason, Lana felt that if something like this were to happen, it would have been between Chloe and Clark because she remembered the feelings Chloe had had for him. But the thought of Jason and Chloe made her feel sick again and she angrily stopped the video and threw the remote onto the other couch.

She'd been spending her days just like this, listless and dead, not caring what anyone said to her or about her. She'd been useless at the Talon where she'd given up smiling at strangers when they ordered the coffee. And she'd spend most of her time locked up in her room, staring at the pictures of Chloe and her, asking the smiling Chloe why she'd chosen to shatter her best friend's trust in her. Of course Chloe didn't answer, Lana wasn't past her sanity just yet, but her face seemed to lose it's smile in the slightest way and Lana would throw the photo down, disgusted at her willingness to forgive if it meant not being lonely and without support.

Lana didn't know who to talk to, where to direct her anger and bitterness. She couldn't talk to Lois, she was with Chloe in this whole thing and she had her suspicions that Clark knew something as well. She'd never felt so alone in this, without friends, without someone to hold her and let her cry. Maybe this was why she'd become mellow in her pact to hate Chloe for the rest of her life. Maybe that's why Lana was longing for none of this to never have happened and for them to go back to the way they were.

A part of her wanted to forgive Chloe just to have some warmth back in her life but the larger part of her warned her not to throw herself into the fire that had already burnt her. It would be a stupid and hurtful mistake that would keep throwing painful blows her way. What's to say Chloe wouldn't do it again? If Lana forgave her this time, she'd think she was a weak and easy person to trample over. What if the next time Chloe hurt Lana, it would be with Clark, someone who Lana loved immensely? Could she be so piteously forgiving then? If Lana was hurt again, she'd break off completely, she knew that much.

Her thoughts were stalled for a while when she saw someone standing in front of her, she hadn't even realized someone was there in the room due to the dark train of thoughts in her head. She looked up and wasn't surprised to see Clark looking down at her with sympathetic concern. His eyes tried reading into hers and she looked away, not wanting any of her feelings to leave her.

"Lana," he started unsurely as he sat down next to her. She got up immediately and said in a quiet voice, "Tell Martha I'll be down to dinner in a few moments." She was about to walk away but his hand caught hers and he said worryingly, "Lana, it's nine in the morning and we've already had breakfast remember?" he asked as he pulled her back down onto the couch. She didn't pull her hands away from his; it felt warmer than the couch she'd been sitting on or the remote control she'd been strangling as she's watched the videotapes.

She blinked surprisingly and grinned nervously, "Yeah, I forgot…. what's wrong?" she asked him, her eyes piercing into his for any signs that he knew. His lips formed a line and his eyes were on the carpet for a while before he talked. "Lana, I know about Chloe and Jason…. I heard you and Lois talking about it." He admitted uneasily. Lana's eyes turned on him slowly, and she nodded gently, "Yeah?" she asked abstractly. Clark frowned at her response but nodded, "Yeah I did…. I couldn't believe Chloe would do something like that." He looked into her eyes and saw them raw with bitterness and pain.

Clark didn't know how to comfort her and persuade her to forgive Chloe at the same time, so he just focused on making her feel better. She was cold and he pulled her into his arms without a single word, feeling as though he was hugging a stiff block. But after a few moments Lana let down her stiff wall and let herself hold onto him. He felt like the one of the few people she could trust through this whole incident and she didn't mind letting a few tears cascade down her cheeks.

"Hey, it's all right…you're going to get over this okay?" he mumbled as held onto her, not sure about his words by the looks of things. He felt her shake gently, "No, I'm not…. this is never going to leave me. I don't know how she can live with herself after what she did." Lana revealed moving away slightly to see his face. She saw something flicker in his face and he placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "That's the thing, she isn't... I know that this whole thing is killing her too." Clark replied carefully, watching her eyebrows knit together slowly. He could see her jumping to conclusions already. She made a slow movement, as if she was moving away from him but he kept his hand firmly on her shoulder.

"Lana…." He started. But she frowned at him, "Are you here to tell me to forget everything? Is that why you're here Clark? To defend what she did?" she asked, her anger and hurt flaring up again. Clark let out a long sigh and she took his silence as an answer. Lana got up quickly from the couch, not giving him the chance to hold onto her shoulder.

She folded her arms and shook her head. "I can't believe that you're on her side…" Her accusing eyes made Clark shake his head quickly, "Lana, don't think-" but she overrode him, "I don't need to think about it Clark, I can already see who you think is right in all of this…. I didn't think you'd leave me at a time like this…. I really didn't." She turned away, feeling like she'd been betrayed again.

She wasn't expecting Clark to pull her around quickly and she let a gasp escape her mouth. Her eyes lost their anger when she saw him staring at her sternly, with a passionate flare. Lana wasn't usually the subject of his anger and had hardly seen so much roughness in his eyes. His voice was controlled and calm but still held power over her.

"Lana, I've loved you for as long as I could ever remember, I've tried to protect you from ever getting hurt, from ever feeling alone…but it feels like I'm losing you anyways. You look like you've woken up from the dead, and I miss the old you. I know that you're hurting, that Chloe made a mistake, but Lana, she's suffering for it just the way you are…. I feel like I've lost both my best friend and the love of my life at the same time. I'm not supporting any side of this, because no matter where I look, there's only pain…. I don't think you can ask me to choose Lana, because you know I can't. You both mean too much."

Lana's eyes stayed on his a few seconds after he had spoken before he let his fingers stroke her cheek gently. His eyes became softer and he gave her a last wistful look before he stepped away from her and strode out of the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Her eyes traveled to the door and she slid down onto the floor, feeling too many emotions whirl through her. She felt like she was stuck at a crossroad, both ways calling to her, making her feel distorted. What should she do? Which way was right? She felt like the only thing that could give her a sense of security was falling asleep, falling asleep so that when she woke up, she could pretend this had been a bad dream.

"It's just a bad dream," she whispered to herself as she trudged up to her room.

The Impala pulled into the hospital's parking lot and jerked to a stop. Sam glanced over at Dean who had driven like his life had depended on it. They had tried calling Chloe's cell phone but had found it switched off.

"If there was a time Chloe needed Lana to forgive, it would be now…. she's going to die inside if her dad leaves her too." Sam commented quietly to Dean as they started walking towards the hospital's entrance. The wind whipped at their faces and Sam scowled trying to shield his face by putting up his hand in front of his face. He wasn't even aware of Dean stopping in his tracks and he only realized that he had when he realized his brother's shadow wasn't alongside him.

Sam turned around in confusion, staring at Dean who looked like he was just realizing something. "Dean?" he called out, watching him ran a hand over his head. When Sam realized Dean wasn't walking over to him, he walked over to where he was standing. "What is it Dean?" he asked. Dean glanced up at the hospital windows and then looked back at Sam, "You're right…. if Gabe dies, it's going to be another blow that she might not be able to handle on top of this thing happening with Lana." Sam could see Dean's mind working away at something.

"Yeah…. that's why we need to get up there; she's going to need you more than ever." He replied, hoping that his brother wasn't planning on doing a runner. Dean smiled grimly, "No, I'm not going to be enough to pull her through this Sam…. she needs someone else, she needs to know she's been forgiven." Dean said slowly as he turned back to their car. Sam's eyebrows furrowed and he took a few quickly steps towards Dean, "Wait where are you going? At least go up and see her before you go."

Dean shook his head, "I need to go and find it first…. look you go up there and I'll be back in a while. I'm going to make her better Sam." He told him before striding over to his car and getting in. Sam called out quickly, "Dean! Hey Dean." But the Impala was already halfway out of the parking lot. Sam threw up his hands in frustration and looked over at the hospital. What did Dean expect Sam to say to Chloe and Lois when he got up there? Sorry but Dean had something to do? "Damn it Dean." Sam muttered under his breath as he walked towards the entrance.

He was still thinking of what he'd tell an anxious Chloe when she'd see that Dean wasn't with him when he walked up the wards to the intensive care unit. It was a given that Dean would be next to the girl he loved when she needed him at a time like this…so what was he doing running off? Sam sighed deeply as he sighted Lois standing outside one of the rooms. She seemed to feel his presence just as he stepped towards her because she turned around from her conversation on her cell phone and stared at him like he was a dream.

His eyes stared into hers and then all of a sudden she was hugging him tightly, squeezing him so hard that he blinked a few times in surprise. "Lois…I can't breathe." He whispered. He almost laughed when she whacked him lightly on his arm and pulled away a fraction. "You're here…finally." She breathed into his jacket. He held onto her tightly and smiled into her hair, "Hey, are you alright? Don't worry now okay."

Lois looked up at his face and for the first time Sam was able to see the paleness of her skin. His fingers ran over her cheeks and she smiled at him. "I'm fine…. but Sam, Chloe's not doing good at all…. she, she hasn't slept or eaten. The doctors are saying that Uncle Gabe hasn't got long. I'm worried about her." Lois sat down on the hard plastic seats outside the room and he sat down next to her. Sam breathed out and put a hand over hers. "It's alright…. we're here now, she just needs someone to support her." He said quietly.

Lois nodded and then looked back up at Sam with a frown. "Wait, where's Dean? I didn't see him with you." She looked past him where the hospital's elevators were. Sam's eyes flickered with uneasiness and his eyes strayed momentarily to the elevators where Lois's eyes had been. She looked back at him expectantly and he breathed out, "Uh, Dean's not here right now." He bit his lip instantly at her narrowing eyes.

"What do you mean he's not here? Does he know about Uncle Gabe? You did tell him didn't you?" she asked quickly getting up from her seat. Sam got up as well and nodded, "Yeah of course I did…he knows, he was with me until we reached the parking lot…." He trailed off, aware of her incredulous stare. "And he's not here right now because?" she asked him. Sam shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I honestly…. don't really know. He was walking up with me a few minutes before and then he just remembered he had to do something important…. urgently." Sam added, trying to defend his brother's rash actions.

Lois looked at him in slight disbelief, "He had to do something important…. urgent? And he couldn't do it after seeing Chloe?" she asked slowly. Sam ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know Lois, he said it was something he had to do to make Chloe feel better…. and then he ran off before I could ask him what it was." Sam admitted, because really, how was he supposed to defend his brother when he had run off without telling him anything?

Lois raised her eyebrows and Sam could tell she was annoyed, maybe even more than annoyed but she wasn't going to let it show just yet. She started pacing back and forth slowly and she looked up to ask him, "No offence Sam but I don't get your brother sometimes…most of the time." She said rolling her eyes. Sam sighed but nodded, "Yeah…. a lot of people don't." Lois stared at him softly for a few moments and then took his hand with a small smile forming on her lips, "Let's go and see Chloe…. she'll be happy to see you."

Dean drove quickly, barely staying within the speed limit as he did. His mind was focused on his plan. He loved Chloe; he loved her more than any other woman in his life. And he could say this without a single hesitation because there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her. He'd always heard people going on about what it was like to fall in love, what it felt like to feel someone else's pain. But he hadn't even believed in it…. why would he? Dean Winchester didn't fall in love; he played it safe with one-night stands and meaningless playful banter.

And contrary to the typical love story, Chloe and he had been connected by pain…by her pain that had attracted him to her. That one look into her soulful eyes had pulled him into loving her so much that there wasn't any way that he'd be able to distance her out of his life. He'd made a promise to himself that he'd protect her at every cost.

He had wanted to be the one responsible for her smiles, for her rosier face and her lightened heart but she'd been plagued by despair every time they'd tried to make a new start and Dean had found his efforts to make her happier squashed by the troubles she was constantly facing.

She was broken as it was, and Dean knew that if she lost her only parent- the dad she'd been raised and loved by, she might never get over it. He had to find a way to make it less painful…. and he knew how. If there was anything Chloe needed right now, it was for Lana to forgive her. He knew the two had been like sisters, and that Lana cutting Chloe away from her life so suddenly and bitterly had been a blow that Chloe was still suffering from. If Lana could just tell her she was forgiven, she'd be taking a giant load off Chloe's shoulders, and she'd make Gabe's death less harsh.

Dean gritted his teeth as he swerved past a car and ducked into Chloe's street. He jerked the Impala to a halt in her driveway and shut the ignition, almost jumping out of the car and running to the front door. The fact that he didn't have a spare key to Chloe's house or that he didn't know if she even kept one, didn't make a difference to him. He broke into houses on a daily basis, thanks to the cynical non-believers of the paranormal who didn't give Sam and Dean a chance to protect them. And by breaking in through the back door, Dean was inside in a matter of a few moments.

The house was deserted and his eyes roamed the surface of the lounge room. The coffee table held nothing; the mantelpiece only held a few stray bills and letters, and the top of the TV was bare. Dean strode into the middle of the lounge room and went down on his hands and knees, peeking under the sofas. Apart from some random objects he found nothing and he was up again, rushing up the flight of stairs to Chloe's bedroom. He didn't know where to start here, there were things everywhere in her room and yet it managed to look neat and tidy. Dean didn't want to be away from Chloe for too long at a time like this and he wanted to make this fast.

His eyes strayed firstly to the closet, where he remembered Chloe chucking some of her old things. He walked over and yanked it open, immediately throwing heaps of clothes over his shoulder. But after a few minutes of searching, he found nothing and after gliding his hand over the top shelf, his suspicions were confirmed…the diary wasn't there.

His continued to search for the diary throughout the whole room, looking under the bed covers, the bed itself, the many drawers and shelves and finally even through the boxes of photos and frames. Dean paused now and then, pocketing some of the photos and then continuing his search in other places.

Just when he was thinking, Chloe had probably thrown it out; he remembered seeing it last in the kitchen where Chloe had told him all about what she'd written. His feet flew down the stairs again and this time he headed straight for the kitchen, banging into and toppling over a few things on the way. He clattered about, rummaging through the cutlery drawers, the cupboards and pantry where he found nothing. Then he ran his hands along the fridge's top and he closed his eyes, hoping it would be there. A wry smile formed on his face as his fingers touched the leathery covers of the diary.

The book had collected a thin layer of dust and he hastily wiped it off with his jacket sleeve. Dean let out his breath slowly as he opened the covers, glancing at Chloe's neat handwriting, swirling over the pages. He flipped through the pages pausing only to read the lines of writing where Chloe expressed her grief and pain and her betrayal. Some of the writing was unreadable because of the tears blotting and making the writing runny. After reading a few lines, he was sure that no one could ignore how much pain Chloe had felt during the relationship with Jason and he was certain Lana would forgive her.

His eyes scanned the kitchen walls for a clock and he hastily pocketed the diary alongside the photos he had taken earlier when he saw how much time had gone by. Dean shut the door behind him and made his way to the car getting in quickly and starting the ignition.

Then his phone started to ring and he sighed when he saw who it was. "What's up Sam?" he asked straight away. He started driving as Sam spoke. "_What's up_? Where are you Dean? What are you doing? We've been waiting for ages." His brother's tone was snappy and Dean's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Is Chloe alright?" he asked immediately.

He heard Sam sigh and he answered, "Chloe's fine…. well she's pretending to be. But Dean, you know she wants you to be here…. you can see it in her eyes, she's waiting for you." Dean smiled sadly and replied, "I know, I know she's waiting for me…. that's why I'm trying to get this done quickly."

Although he couldn't see it, Sam was frowning on the other side. "What do you have to get done quickly? What's so important that you're putting off coming here?" Sam asked hurriedly, his voice becoming agitated again. Dean turned a few corners sharply, "Look, I'll be there soon okay…. just trust me Sam and tell her I love her." He added more softly. There was a pause and then Sam agreed quietly, "Okay…. just hurry up alright?" Dean hung up and parked his car in front of a house next to a barn.

He got out, his hand in his pocket, holding onto the diary and the photos. His mind was going through possible conversations that could change Lana's mind, but they sounded cheesy when he worded them. Dean licked his lips nervously and rang the doorbell, waiting impatiently until the door opened. Clark answered the door, surprised to see Dean there.

"Oh hey Dean…. I didn't know you were back. How's everything going?" He told him, letting him into the lounge room. Dean nodded at this and said gruffly, "Um, yeah, came back a couple of hours ago…" He saw Clark glance up the stairs nervously and he assumed Lana was at home.

"So you've seen Chloe? I bet she's happy to see you." Clark said smiling gently. Dean looked over at him in surprise; didn't he know about Chloe's father? "Umm, have you heard about Gabe?" he asked carefully. Clark looked back at Dean in confusion and shook his head. "Um no, what happened? Is something wrong?" he asked quickly.

Dean nodded and sat down on the couch, "Yeah…he's in hospital; he's in his last stage of lung cancer. I thought maybe Lois had told you, she's with Chloe and Sam at the hospital with Gabe right now." He watched Clark's eyes widen and his mouth drop slightly. It was obvious the guy hadn't known anything. "Wha-when did this happen? Why didn't someone tell me about this?" Clark asked worriedly. He'd known Gabe Sullivan since he'd known Chloe and had always respected the man and his mild mannered personality. Gabe was like family for him.

Dean took a deep breath and started re telling what had happened to Gabe to a shocked Clark who sat down with his hand rubbing his face anxiously the whole time.

Meanwhile Sam was walking into Gabe's room after talking to Dean. Lois was sitting beside Gabe, holding his hand and talking to him gently. He glanced towards Chloe who was staring out of the window, her face somber and distant. Sam hitched a smile onto his face and tapped her on the shoulder, "Hey, um, I talked to Dean just now."

She turned to him and nodded, "Is he coming soon?" she asked quietly. Her eyes strayed to her father and Lois. Sam looked at them as well and realized what she was thinking. Her father didn't have much time left and she wanted Dean to be there with her when the time came.

Sam looked at her carefully and nodded, "Yeah, he's going to be back soon- as soon as he's done. He told me to tell you that he loves you." The last part came out quickly and awkwardly because Sam wasn't used to passing on messages like that from his brother to a lot of people.

Chloe was silent and she turned back to the window, looking out with uncertainty. "Is he in trouble Sam? Is there something you're not telling me?" she asked turning back to him. Sam shook his head quickly, "No, no of course not Chloe…he's not in trouble, well I think he's not in trouble. But it must be something important Chloe, because you know he'd never leave you at a time like this." He reasoned. She stared him in the eye for a few moments before nodding slowly and sitting down next to her father. She held onto his other hand and pressed it to her face.

Clark got up from his spot on the couch and pulled his jacket on. "I've got to go see if she's alright. I've got to see Gabe." He told Dean. He'd been listening to how this had all happened and how Gabe had managed to keep his health a secret from them for so long. Dean had grimly told him what he'd been told through the text message Lois had sent him and what he'd seen of Gabe's previous health. But Dean shook his head quickly and placed a hand on Clark's arm.

"No, Clark…. you've got to stay here with Lana." He told him. Clark stared at him in confusion, "But Chloe needs us to be with her right now. Lana, she'll understand…. she can't expect me to stay put while Gabe's in hospital." He tried to reason. Dean softened his tone and said, "Look, I know you want to be there for Chloe, I want to as well…. but I want to make this loss easier for her. The only way that's going to happen is when Lana forgives her; or at least tries to."

Clark looked up at him at that and said slowly, "Dean, I don't think she's going to forgive Chloe any time soon…. she's feeling her worst right now." He nodded and replied, "I know, they both are, Chloe and Lana…. that's why they need this more than ever right now. And if they really are like sisters, Lana will soften after seeing what I've got for her."

Clark looked on at him in slight confusion and Dean waved the look away by his answer. "I need to talk to Lana right now. Maybe with some help from you, she'll be ready to forgive Chloe and I know she'll come up to the hospital to see Gabe. But you need to talk to her when I leave, before you go to the hospital. She probably needs someone to turn to at a time like this. And I'm guessing you'll be the best help she can hold onto to."

A softer look flitted on Clark's face and he asked Dean what he was going to do. Dean pulled out Chloe's diary and some photos and vaguely waved them at Clark. "Where's Lana?" he asked, glancing up the stairs in assumption. Clark led him up to Lana's room silently and looked at him carefully before knocking.

There was no answer and he turned to Dean, "She never really answers, its like she doesn't hear anything or anyone. Sometimes she just doesn't want to." He went on to open the door quietly and he and Dean walked in, peering around the room. Their eyes rested on Lana who sat hunched over her desk, her face settled on her arm as her eyes followed the grain of the wooden desk.

She didn't hear Dean or Clark approach her and she sat up startled when Clark tapped her on the shoulder. Her eyes darted from him to Dean and her face hardened at once. "What are you doing here?" she asked miserably, hints of anger surfacing. Dean took a deep breath and looked at her seriously. Clark sat down on the bed's edge and stared at Dean and Lana in unease, readying himself for what was to come.

Dean spoke quietly but clearly, "Lana I know that you're in pain, and I haven't come here to make it worse. I just want to help make it easier for the both of you, especially at a time like this." He was hoping she'd ask him in curiosity what he meant but Lana seemed to have not heard or hadn't understood his words and instead flashed her eyes in irritation.

"How could you possibly know what pain I'm in? And how could **you** of all people make it any easier? This isn't something you can fix with a sorry and pretend it never happened afterwards. Chloe stooped to a level I never dreamed she would, and you have too after deciding she was right in what she did." She said coldly.

He had been ready for this and he spoke with determined patience, "I've stooped to help the girl I love out of this mistake she's made. And you know that too Lana. You know that Chloe made a mistake, and that she's been suffering from it since the moment she realized what path she was on. She's gone through hell because of her guilt at betraying you and she's ready to accept whatever you decide…she doesn't want any one of us to try and change your mind because she wants everything to go the way you want from now on. But I know that even after all this you can't go on without her… and Chloe can't go on without you either. Neither of you will ever be able to forget the best friend you shared the best moments of your life with." Dean watched Lana's eyes dart around the table as he said all of this and she suddenly shrieked, "Stop it! Just stop it! I don't want to think about her, or our friendship or anything…."

Clark glanced sharply at Dean but he just turned his attention back to her flushed face and said quietly, "You don't want to think about your friendship with her but you can't help it right?" Lana's eyes snapped over to his; how did he know? She looked away decidedly again, her jaw set. She wasn't going to let him realize he was right.

"Because no matter how much you hate the 'best friend' who stole your boyfriend and kept it a secret for so long, you keep thinking about those birthdays where you could never tell whose birthday it actually was because both of you cut the cake, and you keep thinking about all those times she stood up for you when you didn't think anyone would believe in you, you keep thinking about those times when you felt like you had no family and she wanted to be your mum and dad and sister at the same time just so you wouldn't feel alone, your mind keeps going back to the times you felt like you were betraying **her **because you knew she had her heart set on Clark but you couldn't help the way you felt about him.

There were all those times when you made mistakes and hated yourself for them afterwards, and all those times she was there to say sorry. And after so many years of being so close, it hurts so much because she was the only person you could always rely on…. and she let you down this once. She made a mistake she's paying for now. You know I think you two can't break the bond you have because even now, when you're so isolated from each other, you're still feeling the same pain.

Maybe forgiving her will stop that hole in you from growing any more. Maybe after forgiving her, you'll feel like you're getting out of this mess. Or maybe forgiving her is so hard because you don't want to look weak…. people have made you feel weak and its embarrassed you at how easily they've taken advantage of the soft side of you. If you forgive her…. people might think you're a pushover and that you weren't really that affected by what Jason and Chloe did."

Here Dean paused for a moment watching with sadness, Lana's face dripping with tears. They were flowing openly and she was swallowing her tears heavily. Her eyes stared straight ahead at the opposite wall and when Dean glanced at Clark, he saw his eyes staring intensely at Lana, his one hand leaning on his sorrow filled face. It was then that Dean took out Chloe's diary and the photos he had pocketed and he started to place these cautiously on the table, a little away from her reach yet right in her view. Lana's eyes stared straight on but she flinched when he reached across to put the things down. He got up slowly, his eyes still on Lana's crying form and he felt Clark move over to them…. he looked like he wanted to comfort Lana and she leant towards him slightly for support.

Clark eyed the diary and the photos in slight question while Dean let out the most important matter at hand. "Lana, Chloe's dad is dying in hospital…. he's been suffering from lung cancer and these are his last hours. What she's going through right now is breaking what's left of her Lana. When Gabe dies, Chloe's going to need something to hold onto, something she can feel she's freed of…. and I know that once you see her in the state she's in, you'll know that she's been suffering just like you have. And all this suffering has to stop, if not for her than do it for yourself…. do it before its too late." He ended firmly.

Lana's mouth had dropped open as he had mentioned Gabe dying and her eyes were wide with shock. She seemed at a loss for words and made strangled noises from her throat, as she turned to Clark in question. He looked back at her grimly and nodded sadly. "I just found out, Dean told me downstairs." He squeezed her shoulder sympathetically and she turned back to Dean, the shock still there at this new revelation. There were questions all over her face but no words to play them out to him.

He stared into her eyes for a few moments and then gave her and Clark a curt nod before walking out of the room, shutting the door behind him. She opened her mouth quickly and stretched out her fingers to stop him but he was gone and she sat back down holding onto Clark's warm hand, with her mind splitting into complex paths. He rubbed her arm gently, kissing her lightly on her cheek and then pulled the diary and the photos towards them with his free hand. She eyed the objects warily and shook her head faintly as Clark nudged her.

"You need to read this Lana…you need answers. This is probably it." He said softly, holding her closer to her. Lana took a deep breath, feeling her body tremble all over and she nodded weakly.

Dean drove silently and speeded through the building traffic. It was getting late and people were making their way to their homes and their loved ones. But perhaps none of them were as impatient as Dean was as he ripped through the roads, gritting his teeth and feeling beads of sweat drop down his temple. He was so focused on getting to Chloe that he didn't even bother cursing back at the wiry old lady who flashed him the finger as he swerved around her car.

Finally a few twists and bumps later the Impala screeched to a halt in the hospital car park, earning glares from the few people around him. He practically jumped out after hastily shutting off the ignition and his eyes scanned the hospital buildings as he locked the car. It was a surprise to him that he could actually move his feet at the state of eagerness he was in, but he did. In fact his feet flew over the concrete and in through the hospital foyer. He would have walked on through the wards if he hadn't remembered faintly that he should probably find out what room Gabe was in.

He hurriedly asked the desk nurse about Gabe and she was halfway through directing him there when he started rushing off. She looked on with raised eyebrows as he pushed past some people and was gone from sight. Dean didn't know what he was going to say to Chloe to ease the pain of losing the person she loved the most…but he knew that they wouldn't need words. Just as these thoughts traveled through his mind, he reached the room Gabe was in and he stopped outside it. He took a deep breath and knocked smartly on it.

Sam opened the door and Dean could tell he was happily surprised to see him there finally. "You're here." He said simply, a small grin breaking out on his face. Dean patted his brother's shoulder as a response and walked into the room, his eyes spotting Lois first, sitting at Gabe's bedside and then his eyes traveling to the window, where Chloe stood. Her back was turned to him and she was leaning against the wall, looking out of the window but she turned to him as he approached her.

Their eyes met first. Hers, filled with pain, sadness and waiting. His, filled with anticipation, apology and relief. He opened his mouth to say something, and when he couldn't get any words out Chloe offered a weak smile. It was all it took for him to sweep her into a harsh hug, closing his eyes as the scent of her hair filled his nose. Her body seemed to melt into his as he hugged her, closing her eyes so that she couldn't see anything to break the peace she felt in his arms. Dean breathed out slowly and kissed her feverishly. Her small pale hand stroked his cheek lovingly and they pulled away reluctantly.

Lois had gotten up, realizing Dean had come and she stood next to Sam staring at the two softly. Dean turned to her and grinned at her faintly. "Hey Barbie." He said, watching her smile at him sadly with moist eyes. He saw Sam hold onto her hand tightly and he turned back to Chloe, who was staring at him. He cleared his voice and held out a hand, "Do you want to take a walk with me?" he asked as she took his hand. She nodded and glanced at her father's lying figure when Lois spoke up, "Don't worry, me and Sam are here. You've been sitting here for hours." Chloe realized that it had been a while and she nodded gently.

Dean led her out of the room after smiling gratefully at Lois and they wandered a few wards down, where the hospital canteen was situated. He knew they wouldn't be eating anything (although he would've definitely tried to make her, seeing as she was looking unhealthily worn-out and he had an idea it had something to do with her not eating or sleeping) but he sat down anyway in a corner booth.

She opened her mouth and then closed it again, unsure whether she should admit her recent insecurity. His intent eyes made her cheeks redden slightly and she said, "I thought for a moment that, that you wouldn't come…. when only Sam turned up, I was scared that something had happened." Dean shook his head quickly, "No, I would've come even if you didn't want me to…. you know I cant leave you at a time like this. All you needed to do was let me know something had happened, and I would have been here before your eyes. I'm glad Lois told us when she did." He mumbled.

Chloe shrugged her shoulders while she said quietly, "I didn't even think about telling anyone…. all I could see was dad lying there. All I could think about was that he was going to die and that he needed me…. I didn't even realize I was calling Lois when I did. I just had to have someone there." She breathed out tiredly and closed her eyes for a moment. He clasped a hand over hers and asked gently, "How far is he? Can't they do anything?" he asked hoping that maybe there was a way to save Gabe.

Chloe shook her head sadly and replied, "He's in his last stage. He stopped responding to medication a few months back and they can't do anything for him anymore. We've only got a few hours left to be there for him." Her voice wavered as she said this and he squeezed her hand. "How long does he have?" he asked. She bit her lip but answered, "Until tonight probably…it doesn't matter, its still not enough for me."

Dean got up and moved around the table to hug her again. There wasn't anything he could say to make her feel any better. Losing your parents was hard, he knew what it felt like and he knew there was more pain in it than what people usually let out. She clung onto him and whispered fearfully, "I'm scared Dean…I can't believe he's going to die. I-it hurts; to- to see him like this, with tubes running in his arms, and hi-his eyes being the only way he can say anything. I-I'm not ready to let him go…" He could feel her tears wetting places on his shirt and he held her closely, rubbing her back.

"Hey, I'm here for you okay? I know it hurts…. I know you'll miss him. But you know he doesn't want to see you like this. He didn't tell you because he wanted to see you happy and smiling until he had to go. You've got to stay strong for him Chloe." He muttered back quietly. She stayed silent but he could tell she was listening because when she moved away from him, she had stopped crying and was breathing deeply instead. "I know, I could see it in his eyes when I first saw him here. I don't want him to go but he will, and the more time I spend crying, the less time I'll have with him. I want to be there for him every moment I get." She added firmly, her voice clearing.

He nodded and asked her if she wanted to go back up to her father's room. "Yeah…. I don't like being away for too long." She answered. They passed the many corridors with talk about the case Dean and Sam had been on, and Dean knew it was because Chloe didn't want to talk about her father dying anymore. "Is that why you didn't come with Sam? Did something go wrong with Madeline's spirit?" She asked concerned. A uncomfortable look crossed Dean's face and he shook his head, "Um, no, that wasn't why I was late…. Sam and I left at the same time and I dropped him off here." He told her quickly.

A slight frown appeared on Chloe's face, "Then what happened? Where did you go?" she asked, as they turned to the ward her father was in. He looked away for a moment and then when he turned back to her, he said to her solemnly, "Look, I know you won't like what I'm going to tell you but this was the only way I could help you at a time like this." Her frown deepened and she asked, "Why won't I like it? Where were you Dean?" she asked again, hoping he hadn't done anything brash.

They were at Gabe's room door and Dean held back, licking his bottom lip quickly. Chloe stared at him expectantly and he shrugged his shoulder very lightly. "Don't worry; I didn't say anything harsh…. I just told her the truth. Chloe I can't see you break into pieces, and that's what might happen when its time for your dad to go." He paused here and saw her trying to work out whom he was referring to. His voice was steady and he continued, "So that's why I went to Lana and Clark and I told them that Gabe's here in hospital…. and I also tried talking to Lana about, well about what's going on." Chloe's eyes had narrowed and she started to shake her head.

But he ploughed on, wanting her to hear everything he wanted to say first. He looked up at Chloe's firm face and said, "Chloe, she had to know how this was affecting everyone, she had to see the pain that we've seen on your face. I figured that if she knew about what you went through as well, then maybe she'd be able to forgive you or at least soften up a bit towards you." He stopped here and watched her face closely.

It flickered with disbelief, annoyance, frustration and then tiredness. "Dean…." She started, but he quickly cut in with a, "I couldn't stand there and let her believe what she wanted to instead of the truth, which is that you made a mistake that cost you more than it should have. I couldn't see you wasting away." His normal gruff voice was gone and instead she found herself sighing at the gentleness echoing in it.

She was tired of being angry and sad and bitter all the time. Her eyes looked towards the row of plastic chairs placed along the wall next to her and she sat down on one of them. After a few seconds, Dean joined her on a seat next to her and her eyes traveled to his anxious face. "I didn't want anyone pressuring her Dean…she has every right to hate me and never want to see my face again. No one should try to prove that her pain is wrong." She tried to explain. He clasped a hand over hers and shook his head, "No one's tried to pressure her Chloe, and all I did was tell her about how much you suffered as well. You can't let her pound you with guilt without telling her your side of the story…."

"I- I still don't think you should have gone there. I know you wanted to make this easier for me, but you know that you did what you could by just being here. I don't know what I'm going to go through when Dad's not here, but I know that if you're with me then I'll get through. Maybe it'll leave me scars, but I'll still be alive because I'll have your support and love. That's all I ever wanted from you Dean." Chloe said more softly, her eyes focused on his. Dean stared at her deeply for a few moments, his insides squirming under her words.

Then he placed cupped a hand under her jaw and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She responded with a warm eagerness and when they broke apart again, he said definitely, "But that's not all I want to do for you…I don't want you to even see those scars again. I want to bring you back to a real life and I want to see you live every damn moment. And I want to be there with you every step of the way."

She closed her eyes at these last words and he was sure that if she'd left any tears to cry, they'd be streaking down her cheeks right then and there. Instead she let her body embrace his and she put her arms around his shoulders. He rubbed soothing circles on her back and kept his face partially buried in her hair. Her scent was intoxicating and her love was obvious.

Her eyelids fluttered open and they wandered absently to the clock on the opposite wall. They widened when she realized she'd been away from her father for fifteen minutes. Chloe pulled away gently from Dean and gave him a grim smile, "We should get inside, dad will be happy to see you. I think he's been expecting you." He held onto her hand with his and nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to keep him waiting." Chloe opened the door and they walked through, seeing Sam and Lois standing and sitting near Gabe.

They were both quiet and Chloe realized that he had fallen asleep. "When did he fall asleep?" she whispered to Lois after the two had realized Chloe and Dean were back. Sam glanced at Dean in curiosity while Lois answered, "Just as soon as the two of you left…but he keeps waking up in between so it's not a deep sleep." She glanced back at her uncle as she said this and sure enough, Gabe's eyes opened a few fractions and the corners of his lips curled faintly. Sam, Lois and Chloe followed his line of sight back to Dean who looked surprised at being singled out by him.

He looked around the other three and then cleared his throat and hitched his trademark grin on his face. He clambered onto the seat closest to Gabe and sat down, smiling at the old man as he did. He knew that if Gabe had been in a better state, he would've given back a wider smile and probably thumped him on the back good-naturedly. The thought made Dean's throat clog up again and he found himself clearing his throat once more.

Gabe's eyes locked onto his and Dean made out a slight nod of a head as a greeting. "Hey Gabe…um or I could call you sir like I used to. But it feels weird calling you something so formal when it feels like we're friends now. I know why my dad was your friend; you're the sort of guy no one has a problem with. You're a great guy." He paused here and saw Gabe's shaking hand attempt to move up to his.

Dean quickly held onto it, smiling weakly and watching for what Gabe wanted to say. Gabe tightened his hold slightly and moved his head in a nodding motion. Dean raised his eyebrows gently and asked, "You think I passed the test fathers give their daughters' boyfriend?" He saw the corners of Gabe's lips pull up again and it caused him to smile as well.

Gabe nodded slowly again and Dean gave a small unclear laugh, aware of the thickness of his voice. He gulped again and said cheerfully (as cheerfully as he could with the ton of sadness and empathy in his heart at that moment), "Good, because I've got to admit, I was pretty sure I failed at the start." He fell quiet as Gabe's weak hold tightened a bit more and he looked at him tentatively. Gabe's eyes moved to Chloe who was standing with Sam and Lois looking like she would cry any minute and then moved back to Dean's eyes pointedly. Dean turned his head to Chloe and saw that she wasn't sure what her father was saying as well.

Dean looked back at him and again he made the same movement before Dean realized what it meant. "Hey, you know that I love your daughter…. there's nothing I wouldn't do to keep her safe. And I know you're worried about her, but don't be. She's strong…. and she's brave, she never lets anyone else feel her pain. I promise to keep her happy, and safe. You have my word Gabe." He said after staring into the older man's waiting eyes.

Gabe's gaze lingered on Dean's and an assured look flickered on his face before he gave everyone a half smile and sank back into the hospital bed. Dean watched the man's eyes close slowly, and he let out a soft sigh. He glanced back at the other three who were staring at him with a look in their eyes that he couldn't read exactly but knew was a positive one. Chloe smiled at him gratefully and he grinned back. Lois glanced over at the two and said; "I think he's fallen asleep for now…." They all looked at Gabe sleeping, with a glint of peace on his face although they all knew he was probably riddled with pain physically.

Sam looked over at Chloe, "You need to eat something Chloe…you've been sitting up here ever since you got here." She shook her head almost immediately and he looked at Dean. Dean put a hand on her arm and said quietly, "Baby, you have to eat something, look, we'll bring it up here if you want…. you don't have to leave him." She stared at him for a few moments and then nodded, "I'm not going to go anywhere…"

Dean nodded and Lois shared a look with Sam, "Why don't we go get you something?" she asked her cousin quickly. Sam nodded and asked in a matching tone, "You alright with a couple of sandwiches and pies?" Dean nodded, on behalf of Chloe as well seeing as how she didn't really care what menu they were deciding on.

Dean smiled gravely at Lois and Sam (both wearing a strained cheerful expression) before they cast a last concerned glance at Chloe and left the room. He moved over to Chloe and wrapped his arm around her shoulders and let her lean into him. They both watched Gabe sleeping and he knew they were both thinking the same thing.

Clark sat in front of Lana, his eyes watching her steadily as she eyed the diary in return. They had been sitting there for a few minutes until she had taken the diary in her hands and turned it over many times. Every time she turned the book over, two paths stood in front of her; she could look into the diary and do what everyone was pressuring her to-give Chloe a chance to explain. Or she could throw the thick book into the trash and keep the hurtful betrayal flaring in her heart.

She glanced up at Clark unsurely and her mind sped back to Dean's words about Gabe. "Is it true, what Dean said about Gabe? What's going on Clark?" she asked nervously. She was hoping Clark would tell her Dean had gotten it wrong or that it had been a cheap ploy to get her to make amends with Chloe. But Clark's eyes held a pained truth that outshone his feeble attempt to suggest otherwise.

Her eyes dropped back to the diary, her heart swelling with another painful piece of news. Gabe Sullivan had been one of friendliest faces she'd taken for granted since she'd been a little girl. The man had welcomed her into his heart and home like another daughter and the thought of him dying was perplexing to the young generation that had grown with his assistance, including her. What was even more alarming, was the suddenness of it all-hadn't she seen him a couple of weeks ago? And hadn't he looked like he always did? Healthy, jovial and the slight shade of tiredness that always seemed to cling about him?

Lana swallowed dryly; when she put her memory to it, she realized that he had looked more tired than usual when she had seen him last. But at the time, it had gone unnoticed by her and by the look on Clark's face, a few other people too. At the thought she looked up again at Clark and his eyes seemed to be shining. "How long does he have?" she asked in a whisper. Clark lifted his shoulders slightly and shook his head faintly, "I'm not sure, but he's probably only got a few hours…. he's in his last stage."

She nodded, feeling her eyes moisten and she saw Clark get up. He moved over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, meeting her eyes with his. "I know you've got to do this on your own Lana…. I don't want to get in the way of your decisions. I'll be waiting for you downstairs, whenever you're ready to go." She made a slight movement of her head and he bent down quickly to kiss her gently before he left, closing the door behind him.

When she closed her eyes, images of Gabe Sullivan lying in a hospitable bed floated through her mind, solely followed by images of Chloe's ghostly face weeping beside him. Her eyes snapped open at this image and she took a deep breath before opening the diary to a random page in the middle of the journal.

_**12**__**th**__** April**_

_**I don't know what's wrong with me these days…it feels like I'm losing myself completely and dangerously to someone who I shouldn't even be thinking about, someone who shouldn't be thinking about me. But it feels like maybe I have and I know its not going to have a happy ending. **_

_**I felt so wrong walking into the Talon, acting like everything was normal…like I hadn't just met with Jason. I should've told Lana everything that had happened, and I should've told Jason it was over. But I can't do any of those; every time I look at Lana she's smiling and talking about how it's nice to finally have a normal and peaceful time in her life for once. It makes me feel so shallow, it makes me wonder why I'm doing this. **_

_**If she ever found out about Jason and me, she'd be devastated. This whole thing's been going on for a week now and its already started to fill me with guilt. Because the second reason is Jason, I tried to tell him I didn't want to go on like this…but the moment he smiled at me I lost my voice. Suddenly it seemed like what we were doing was fine, that he understood me and that I knew him inside out. **_

_**When he holds me, I feel like there-**_

Lana took a sharp intake of breath and snapped the book shut, with a finger still marking the page. She closed her eyes again and winced at the fear of reading the details of the betrayal she'd gotten. But again, images of Gabe's dead looking face and Chloe's ghostly tear stained one flashed in front of her and she opened her eyes again. She opened the book again to the page she'd been on.

**When he holds me, I feel like there is someone who cares about what happens to me. It feels like I mean something special, like maybe there's something in me that's attractive. He doesn't treat me like a wild horse that's got to be tamed…I can remember a few guys who've tried to. And he doesn't treat me like a damsel, which I'm grateful for. But when I'm with him, I feel like a strong woman, a special woman…and then I feel like a bitch as soon as I see Lana. **

**Sometimes I try and make excuses, even when I know there are none. I try to convince myself that Lana's not meant to be with Jason anyway…she was always meant to fall in love with Clark, the way he loves her. But I forgot that the person you fall in love with isn't always the one who loves you…I should know, having spent so many nights crying in my pillow because I'd seen Clark try again and again to show Lana how much he loved her. **

This time Lana realized uncomfortably that prior to this, Chloe had had an undying devotion to Clark. With uneasiness she remembered the time Clark had saved her while Chloe had waited for him to take her to the prom.

**Jason told me today that – wait there's someone at the door; I'll come back to this later.**

Lana stared at the page sadly before turning a few pages randomly and stopping at another entry.

**20****th**** June**

**It feels like I'm in quicksand, every time I try to move out of this mess, I get pulled in deeper. It'll end up suffocating me I know it. It's already been a month but I'm not celebrating. I can see something changing in Jason and I'm starting to get scared. He never says anything to me, and he never does anything to me to make me feel scared, but I've seen the way he's changing with everyone else. The way he's acting with Clark and Lana as well, it's starting to make me think something is wrong. He turned up today, early in the morning-I mean 4am in the morning. And when I saw him, I thought he'd been mugged, I'm still not sure if he hasn't because he hasn't told me anything. He just stood there and looked at me like he was challenging me to ask him what he'd been doing. So I didn't say anything just then…I cleaned up the cuts and bruises and let him take a shower. He looked angry and when I couldn't stop myself, I asked him what happened. He became snappy and told me loudly that he didn't need me on his case as well. And that it was bad enough having to answer questions from Lana just to hear me replay them like a broken record. It felt like he was someone else for that split second, like I was looking back at a stranger. The he hugged me and apologized quickly…he said he was just wired up and that he needed me to just sit with him for a while. But I still felt a bit annoyed at him, he had no right to say anything about Lana, especially not after what we…well not after what we're doing right now…. building up so much pain for her. **

**I met her today for coffee, and after that, I can't look at myself in the mirror without wanting to throw something at it. She was talking about what it was like while she was in Paris and she kept talking about how much she missed talking and shopping with me. She started reminding me about all those childhood days, and how I'm a sister to her and that she'd do anything for me because I've always been trustworthy and loyal to friendship. I couldn't answer properly…the reflection in my coffee didn't look like me. I looked like a coward…I am a coward. I used to be proud of the fact that I'd never break my moral rules, that I'd always be the best friend I could be, and now I've stooped so low in my own eyes that I fear my own reflections. She told me about the problems she was having with Jason, about how he wasn't talking to her and all I did was nod and tell her not to worry. I should have tried to drown myself instead.**

**Dad's come back from work so I'll write later.**

Lana's fingers quivered as she picked out a random page again further along the journal. Her eyes were already clouding over with tears and her mixed feelings were arising again. The page she stopped on was stained with tears on a few sections.

_**5**__**th**__** August**_

_**I was so close today…I was so close at telling her the truth. She asked what was wrong, and I even opened my mouth to tell her…but I couldn't get the words out. She looked so worried about me that I felt sick with myself. Her caring made me want to tell her everything so that she'd hate me the way I deserve to be. I can't stand it anymore-the way she's so nice to me, the way Jason acts like this is normal, the way he was able to make me think this was normal-that this was love. And I hate the way he can smile and tell her that he loves her when he tells me the same thing. I'm starting to see how it gets to me, when he's acting completely in love with Lana. And I hate the way I feel against it-why should I? I'm the other woman in his life; I have no right to feel jealous. **_

_**I've been telling Jason I want to end this for a couple of weeks now…but he won't listen. He always stops me by telling me he needs me. And I'm so pathetically weak that I give in. He told me we've got a connection…I told him that we are a weapon. A weapon that's going to destroy Lana if we go on with this relationship. Nothing feels right anymore, I don't feel right. I feel ugly and I feel like a home wrecker, I'm starting to feel like a disease…I don't like being around anyone anymore. And they're starting to notice it. Jason told me to smile more and talk the way I used to…but I can't because it feels like I don't deserve even that. His hugs make me feel like dirt and I haven't been able to hug him without awkwardness seeping in. I always break away almost as soon as he hugs me. I've been trying to ignore him since yesterday… and I've already managed to start spending less time with Lana. I'm welcoming the workload; at least it's keeping me away from everyone. Dad keeps asking me what's wrong and I feel like putting my head on his shoulder, letting it all out and crying until there's nothing left. But I can't, I'm still the weakest coward I've ever seen. So I just tell him its just workload stress and he leaves it at that. I had to cover a story about suicidal tendencies in teens, some of the reasons made sense. I never thought I'd say this but some of the deaths looked welcoming. It'd be better than this.**_

_**I've got to go finish some work, I'll write later…if I can.**_

A couple of tears fell onto the already tear stained page and Lana gasped in surprise…she hadn't even realized she'd been crying. Her throat was constricted and her fingers traced the tears through the words. It felt as though she'd written the entry, the pain and the words stirred up feelings identical to what she'd been feeling. She vaguely remembered the convincing excuses Chloe had made up about her work whenever Lana had tried to ask about her pale state and now she understood the reason behind it.

Something fell out of the diary and onto the floor. Lana quickly picked it up and her tears fell faster when she saw what it was of. It was a picture of Chloe and Lana at Chloe's 10th birthday, their arms linked together along with Clark, smiling into the camera with a backdrop of the Sullivan's backyard.

A whirl of memories took her to the sounds of them laughing and singing as children in the playground and images of them sharing all their important times in life together flashed before her eyes. Lana opened her eyes and while still letting the tears fall thickly, she turned to another page, readying herself for another painful confession she was probably going to familiarize with again.

The tears weren't representing the pain she'd felt after finding out about Chloe and Jason anymore. They were falling because she was remembering what Chloe had been before this, how much she'd meant to Lana. The tears falling down her miserable face now, were representing how much she missed her best friend, how much she missed the undying support she'd always had behind her before this had all happened. As the tears rained down on the thin paper, she read on, sobbing and remembering as photos offered testimonials to what had been and entries displayed the mirrored pain she'd been feeling.

Meanwhile, downstairs Clark heard every sniffle and sob as he waited for her decision and he buried his face in his hands, wondering how the two girls had managed to keep their pain locked away from everyone else. He pulled out his cell phone, dialing his mother's number with shaking hands. When his mother answered cheerfully, his voice told her with a quivering tone, "Mom, something's happened to Gabe…could you come home quickly. We should all go to the hospital before its too late."

Lois shared a knowing glance with Dean as she unhappily watched him chuck out the almost untouched pies and sandwiches into the bin. She knew that while he had tried to get Chloe to eat something, he had only succeeded in making her eat a few measly bites. And Dean had been unable to eat anything himself after seeing her dying appetite and had made himself feel more useful by holding her hand tightly as they sat next to Gabe, watching the man's steady yet pained sleep.

Night had fallen outside the hospital and inside, the sickly yellow lights had been turned on in the corridors and rooms, increasing Dean's dislike of hospitals as it was looking its most daunting and artificial. Dr. Rogers had come in and checked on Gabe, with a sad and regretful expression on her face. She had gone over some hospital papers after checking if it was a reasonable time for Chloe.

Chloe signed where she had to, her face expressionless apart from a quick flicker to the doctor's face as she mentioned how she knew what it was like to lose someone so special. She'd seen it happen countless times in the hospital and had seen it happen to her own mother while she had been her doctor. A look of gratitude crossed Chloe's face as she realized this woman had tried to help her father as much as she could and a hollow smile escaped her as she thanked her for her care. The doctor placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and nodded quietly before she left with the papers.

After a while, Sam, Dean and Lois moved out to the seats in the corridor as Chloe rested her head near her father's side. They talked in low and hushed voices about whether Lana was going to come or not and voiced their concerns about Chloe. Lois was wary of the fact that Dean had gone over and talked to Lana after Chloe had told them not to. "Dean, you shouldn't have gone over there…you know you could've made this worse? We didn't know how Lana would react." She argued quietly as he stood before and Sam sat next to her.

Dean frowned, "I had to do something Lois…you've seen what's happened to Chloe haven't you? She can hardly do anything or say anything because of the pain she's feeling." He said motioning towards Gabe's room. Sam sighed and interjected, "Dean, Lana forgiving her isn't going to be enough to pull her out of her father's death when it happens. The sting of losing someone is still going to be there no matter what we do." He knew that people came to terms with the loss of their loved ones at their own times and that the process couldn't be quickened or slowed down just by a few words.

Dean sighed tiredly as well and sat down opposite the two, "Look, I know that it's not going to go away at the click of a finger…she might be hurting long after he's gone, that's normal for any person who loses their parents. And I'm not trying to forget all about it by getting Lana to forgive her…But I just want to lessen the ache. I don't want her heart to be heavy with this deal about Lana and her dad's death at the same time. See what it's doing to her already? I just want her to feel as if she has everyone behind her, backing her up. And everyone means Lana as well." Dean added.

Sam looked up at him and asked, "Do you really think Lana's going to come…I mean what if she doesn't?" Dean opened his mouth to answer but Lois interjected with, "Yeah, and now that Chloe knows that you went and told Lana all about it, she's going to be even more disappointed when she doesn't turn up. I don't know about this Dean…" the uneasiness in her voice being reflected on her face.

A flicker of annoyance passed through Dean's face and he frowned in slight frustration. "She will come…" He saw the two share a look and he repeated more firmly, "She'll have to after reading about how painful it was for Chloe as well. I know she will." His words left a heavy feel in the air and the three sat in silence pondering over it.

Lana's trembling fingers shut the cover of Chloe's diary and she fell against the wall, her head resting on the hard surface. She was aware of her gasping breaths and her blurred vision as she pulled her knees up to her. The emotions were too strong and the paths were unclear. After reading all that she had in the coarse pages of the diary, she had found fragility in the pages that she could connect to Chloe directly. By the time she had stopped reading, her fingers had turned ice cold and all she could see was Chloe's colorless face in front of her eyes.

Before reading her diary entries, Lana couldn't see anything past the hurt and betrayal she had faced every time she'd glimpsed Chloe and Dean or come across an old image of Jason. But every entry Chloe had made had been felt as an arrow stinging the bubble of shock surrounding Lana's body. Those pages had conveyed a depression she didn't think anyone could bottle up for so long without going completely insane. In those moments while her lips silently worded all those fears and guilt that Chloe had penned, she had forgotten completely about her previous hate towards her and instead had viewed the entries as the old Lana-one of Chloe's best friends and the spirited and sympathetic person she used to be.

Although she would always remember what had happened and perhaps her friendship with Chloe would never really be the same again, she could see herself treading on the bridges they could build if she extended a hand of forgiveness. After reading her entries, Lana had suddenly realized that the gaping hole inside of her wasn't there because of the hurt she had endured. It had been there because she had missed Chloe's friendship the most. She had spent nearly every major event of her life with Chloe by her side and to not have her best friend there for possibly the rest of her life, was a fact she didn't want to accept.

Glancing at the old photos of Chloe and her, her eyes leaked a new wave of tears as she realized what state Chloe was probably in. She was about to lose someone else in a matter of a few hours and Lana knew that she had to forgive Chloe to make the process easier for-if not her, then everyone else who had felt the presence of Gabe Sullivan in their life.

Lana stood up slowly, wiping her tears away with her hands and taking a deep determined breath. She picked up the photos and diary caringly, stepping towards her desk and placing them there. In a trance like state, she walked over to her closet and opened it to take out her jacket. She didn't even know or really care if it was cold outside but she used these extra moments to see if she still wanted to forgive Chloe right now.

But as she pulled the warm fabric over her arms, she realized this decision was going to be the same no matter how long she thought about it. The deepening hole in her heart would always be there, even as the years would pass, she thought to herself. And although perhaps a veil would settle over it, it would always be there if she didn't fix it soon. Lana ran a brush through her tangled hair quickly and without another glance at the pasty reflection in the mirror, she walked downstairs lightly her eyes focusing on her surroundings for the first time in a long time.

Clark was already standing near the foot of the stairs when she reached it. No doubt he had heard even her light-footed steps, which made Lana wonder how he could be so perceptive all the time. She smiled slightly at his anxious face and saw him grin back nervously. There was an awkward silence between them for a few seconds before she took a deep breath and said, "Can we go see Gabe?"

She could've smiled at the way his face lit up at those words if she hadn't been feeling so jittery but instead she lifted her hand towards his and took the hand he offered her. He nodded his head at her in response to her question and almost ran to the coffee table to grab his keys. He appeared again almost just as soon. "You sure you want to go?" he asked again, although the keys in his hand and darting glance towards the door made it obvious what he knew what her answer would be.

Lana nodded, with more feeling this time and he gave her a warm smile. He took her hand again and they walked off to his car, both of them feeling considerably lighter than they had been before.

Dr. Rogers stopped at the end of Gabe's bed and picked up his report hourly report. She had brought along her own collection of reports on his health. The expectant faces of Chloe, Dean, Lois and Sam looked on at her as her face frowned and displayed sadness. They looked at each in disappointment and turned back to her for an answer.

She turned to them slowly, pushing her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose. When she started to speak, she looked directly at Chloe who felt her legs go weak in knowing fear. Dean placed his hand on the small of her back and looked determinedly at the doctor.

"These reports are pointing to the worse I'm afraid." She stated regretfully. "What do you mean?" Chloe asked Dr. Rogers, gripping the bed's frame. Dr. Rogers face was grim and she said heavily, "In these past few hours, since this morning in fact, your father's lungs have been working very hard to keep him breathing. Our machines have been trying to help as well and they've been helping too. But these reports are indicating that his respiration has decreased massively. His respiration rates have been dropping dramatically according to this."

Chloe's eyes stayed on her and her voice didn't sound like her own. "How long?" she asked fearfully. Dr. Rogers took her glasses off and stared at her in a mixture of admiration and sadness. "A few hours, maybe four…. but not long. This is beyond our medicines and machines anymore Chloe. I really think you should call any other relatives or friends if you want to because I'm afraid it's a matter of time before…." She trailed off here because Chloe was nodding in a strained way, not wanting the doctor to speak on the last few words.

The doctor nodded and walked out of the room with the nurse that had accompanied her. Chloe and the others gathered around Gabe's bed, watching either him or each other. Dean gripped her hand with his and asked in a whisper, "Do you want to call someone?" She was silent for a few moments and then she shook her head. There was no one else to call; they didn't have any relatives apart from each other and Lois. He looked into her glossy eyes carefully and asked, "Don't you think we should call Lana?" Sam and Lois looked on expectantly.

"You don't need to, I'm already here." A clear and firm voice sounded from behind them. Chloe hadn't seemed to hear but Dean, Lois and Sam had, and they turned around to see who it was. The silence that had eerily settled around Chloe, made her lift her head up from her father's side and turn around as well, not really believing her ears. When her eyes saw who it was, she understood the silence that had befallen.

Standing at the doorway with her arms wrapped around her waist was Lana. Clark stood behind her as well, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he peered around her to look at everyone inside the room.

Chloe's mouth fell dry and she stared at Lana in amazement. Her eyes tried to read hers but it was almost impossible with the careful neutral expression on Lana's face. Dean glanced at the two girls curiously, wondering if he had done the right thing by giving Lana an earful before. His eyes caught Clark's who looked at him with a slightly sad smile and this made his eyebrows furrow further. Lois and Sam were also staring at Lana and Clark; both of their mouths open slightly.

"Lana, w-what are you doing here?" Chloe said finally. A mixed batch of emotions swirled in her but the one that stood out the most was hope. She didn't know where this glare of hope came from…surely she'd done so much damage that it was impossible for her to be forgiven. But the feeling was still there nonetheless and it had burst in her at the sight of Lana who walked into the room, glancing at Lois and Sam in acknowledgment.

When she saw Dean, her eyes stayed on his for a few moments and he was sure Lana's lip curled faintly at the corners. For Chloe it felt like hours had passed between Lana walking from the doorway to where Chloe stood near her father's bed. The only sounds that reached her ears were her father's scratched breathing and the beeping of the machines supporting him.

Lana was a few steps away from Chloe and she could see that her eyes were shining brightly. Chloe suspected this wasn't because of any brightness Lana felt within her right now. When Lana spoke, her voice was sparse. "Why didn't you tell me this had happened?" she asked, her eyes moving to Gabe.

Dean cleared his throat here and stood up. "Um, I think we'll wait outside…."he told the two girls unnecessarily. Sam and Lois mumbled their agreement and stood up as well, following him out of the room after a last inquisitive look their way.

Chloe's eyes started to water uncontrollably and she felt her voice cracking when she tried to say, "I-I I didn't think th- that there was a-any way…." At this point Chloe turned away to the windowsill and let the tears that had threatened to fall spill down her face. Her shoulders shook violently and after a few moments she felt a hand on her shoulder.

It was too light to belong to Dean or Sam and she turned around to see who it was. Lana's face mirrored hers and she gave Chloe an understanding look. It was enough for Chloe to break down completely, the tears that were on the rim of her eyes, spilled down her pale cheeks and her lips contorted into a saddened grimace as she wept dejectedly. Any doubts or hesitations Lana had had at the thought of forgiving Chloe, vanished at the sight of her broken best friend.

She reached a hand up to wipe the tears away from her face and gulped nervously. Her shaking hand placed itself on her shoulder and Chloe's beseeching eyes stared at her. "I, I know how manipulative he was….and I know that you would never betray me intentionally. I know that you're not like that." Lana said in a heartfelt tone.

Chloe nodded quickly, this was exactly what she had wanted to explain to her before. "I didn't….I didn't. I never wanted to hurt anyone, it was just a mistake….I'm so sorry." She whispered finally. Lana nodded and then to Chloe's surprise, pulled her into a hug. Chloe hugged her back, relief flooding through her nervous body. Perhaps nothing was going to be the same anymore. Maybe they'd never be as close as they had been, but at least she was forgiven. At least she could sleep without tormenting dreams of Lana's pallid face or eat without feeling as though she was eating the poison she'd inadvertently fed Lana.

Suddenly a loud and sharp beeping sounded and both girls tore apart to turn to Gabe. All the machines were starting to go off and Gabe was suddenly gasping for air through the mask. Chloe's eyes flashed with fear and she rushed to his bedside. Lana followed her quickly and looked on in shock as Chloe's numb fingers reached for the emergency button on the wall next to Gabe's bed.

"Oh my god, dad…." Chloe whispered fretfully as the door burst open and Dean, Lois, Clark and Sam entered. They looked at Gabe in horror and quickly joined Lana and Chloe. Dean's arm automatically moved to her shoulder and he asked quickly, "What happened?" His eyes couldn't tear away from Gabe's gasping form until a group of nurses and doctors came rushing through the open door.

Chloe shook her head and tried to cling onto her father's hand as the nurses tried to move her away and bustled between the others and Gabe. The group of friends was moved to the other end of the room, as they watched on in horror as Chloe screamed for her father amongst the loud voices of the doctors yelling out instructions. Time was moving in a blur and somehow, in what seemed a miracle; Dean moved in between a couple of nurses and tried to pull Chloe away. But her body glued itself to Gabe's side until he yanked her away with the strength of his two arms.

"No…. No!!" she yelled out in pain as he pulled her to where the others all stood, watching the doctors inject stronger drugs into his drips. Chloe turned her face away from the disturbing scene and hid it in Dean's jacket while he stood there with a fist curled at his side. He knew there was nothing they could do. Lois's face was already streaked with tears and she placed a hand on Chloe's shaking shoulder.

"He's not responding; severe decrease in heart rate sir…." One of the nurses yelled out to the doctor as she injected something into the drips. Chloe's eyes swam with tears and she tried to run over to Gabe. Dean tried to pull her back and after struggling a bit she broke free. Chloe pushed through the ring of nurses and doctors before grasping onto her father's shaking hand. "Dad…" she whispered fretfully. His eyes connected with her and she could read the sad farewell etched into them.

"No, oh no…." Chloe tried to tell him, but the nurses had realized she was standing there and they moved her out of the way. "Sorry miss, but we have to do our jobs." She tried to push back in but this time Clark came up behind her and pulled her away out of the room. Everyone else had been ushered out into the corridor and were trying to peer inside through the small window. They looked at Chloe sympathetically and miserably while Dean moved in to hug her.

Lana and Lois shared the same tear streaked face and Sam and Clark both looked somber and sick. Dean himself was stoic and found his throat clogging up as the frantic noises from Gabe's room sounded out into the corridor. Chloe could only think of her father's sad face and she sobbed into Dean's arms. "I-it's all right, we're all here for you okay?" he told her hoarsely. Chloe didn't say anything, she just kept weeping until the sharp sounds of clicking heels made them all turn around to see Martha Kent rushing towards them with an anxious expression on her usually neutral face.

"Oh my god, what's going on?" she asked, worriedly glancing between her son and Sam as they got up to meet her. Her eyes flitted to the window to Gabe's room and her eyes widened as she saw the flurry inside. Lois's voice was thick and barely audible as she mumbled, "Uncle Gabe…he's not responding…" Sam grasped Lois's hand tightly while Martha gasped.

"I didn't know it was this bad…." She whispered moving towards Chloe's weeping form. Her maternal face and warm sympathetic eyes reminded Chloe of the parental figure she was about to lose and she found herself moving away from Dean's arms and into Martha's. A new wave of tears poured from her eyes as the older woman tried to soothe her, although her own voice was cracking under the reality of the situation.

Dean watched them for a few moments before he walked over to where Clark and Lana stood, and leant against the wall, tiredly. The voices of the havoc in Gabe's room continued to ring in their ears but it sounded distant through the memories the were re-living of the dying man inside. Martha sat down on one of the hard seats, pulling Chloe into the one next to hers while still trying to pacify her. Lana rubbed her hands over her bare arms and watched Chloe sadly. Lois had her head on Sam's shoulder, tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes and onto his already damp shirt. The atmosphere was sullen and think with tension for every one of them.

The abrupt silence from the room was the alarm for everyone. Their heads snapped towards the door and almost at once their faces filled with fear. Time stood still for Chloe as the heart stopping flat sound of the heart monitor rang out into the corridor. Her fingers froze and her mouth ran dry as the low murmur of voices from the room became quiet. Without saying a word, she got up and opened the door with trembling fingers. From the open fraction, the group heard a disappointed voice say, "Time of death 10:55 pm due to respiratory breakdown." Chloe's voice got stuck in her throat as she gripped the handle in her hand tightly.

Dean and Lana were there by her side at once and her feet seemed to slip out from under her as she leant against dean for support. Her eye glazed over with images of her father and her throughout her life and the tears she thought had stopped a while ago, flowed down her cheeks openly. The door opened widely and a few doctors and nurses walked out, surprised to see Chloe, Dean and Lana standing right there.

They glanced at each other uncomfortably before looking directly at Chloe. One of the doctors took Chloe very gently by her arm to the side and sighed regretfully. "I'm extremely sorry Miss. Sullivan…we tried very hard to save him but I'm afraid we couldn't save your father…. his lungs just couldn't go on. We're very sorry, I know this must be hard for you." Chloe stood there numbly and managed to nod faintly, not hearing anything else the doctor said after that.

She didn't realize that the doctors had walked away after saying a few sentences to Dean but instead her eyes flashed to the bed on which her father's body lay. Her surroundings melted before her as she stepped into the room and beside her father's bedside. It was frightening to see him so still, to see him lying there in an eternal sleep, that she'd never be able to wake him up from like she used to when she was a child.

Some of the doctors and nurses offered the sympathies and left the room to complete procedures she didn't know or care about while the other nurses stood in the room, watching her with faint sadness, allowing her to grieve for her dead father. Chloe was grateful they didn't whisk him down to their morgue without letting her stay near him for a few minutes.

His pale face and darkly lidded eyes looked oddly at peace now, although she was certain his last moments would have been painful. Her hand found his cold one and she pressed it lightly to her lips, a few last tears trickling down her own pale cheeks.

Staring at his face, she whispered, "I love you dad…. You'll always be with me, but I'll still miss you every day." Her eyes glanced back at him one last time before she kissed his hand again and got up, her legs shaking. He was gone, it was what she had to accept and live with. The only way she could keep him alive was with the silent prayer that he was resting in peace finally and that he would always be alive in her, with her every moment. As she walked across the room, away from her father she could feel a coldness seeping over her, making her feel like she was isolated already.

When she appeared again in the anxious and dim corridor, everyone shared miserable glances. Dean hugged her quickly and said, "Don't worry, I'm here for you forever…. so is your dad." She nodded and gave his hand a squeeze, "I know, there won't be a moment where he won't be missed." She replied heavily, her voice faint from all the pain. A hand on her shoulder made her turn around and when she saw it was Lana she tried to smile.

But Lana shook her head and told her, "Don't try to hide it Chloe, you've been doing that for too long." Chloe bit her lip and nodded before giving into Lana's outstretched arms. There was no trace of awkwardness when they hugged-it felt like the past couple of months hadn't happened at all.

Chloe smiled sadly as they pulled apart and she tried to apologize, "I'm sorry for what happened…. I never meant to-" but Lana shook her head again and said sharply, "Don't say anything Chloe…. I realize how hard this was, for us both. It was wrong what you did…. but I can't punish you for something you've been punishing yourself for so harshly. It was a mistake…. I know our friendship's stronger than that one mistake…. and I'm so sorry."

She smiled at this and hugged Chloe again quickly. When she let go, her eyes fell to the nurses pushing Gabe out of the room on a gurney. They paused when Chloe asked them, "Where are you taking him now?" The nurse answered kindly, "We're just taking him to the hospital morgue. Don't worry Miss. Sullivan, nothing's going to happen without your consent." They all watched the nurses take Gabe away quietly and Chloe turned to them all. "I really need a few minutes to myself."

They nodded and Lois quickly kissed Chloe on the cheek before walking away with Sam. Martha, Clark and Lana walked away as well after warm words and Dean gave Chloe a last strong hug before walking off to catch up with Sam and Lois. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked her before he went. She nodded and said, "Yeah…I just need some time to think."

Chloe sighed tiredly as she pulled down her full suitcase out of her car. It thudded as she dropped it down making Clark and Lana peer at her face worryingly. "Chloe, why are you going? Everything will be alright now, you don't have to go anywhere…." Lana protested again, her voice revealing how puzzled she was at Chloe's decision.

Chloe looked at her kindly, knowing that Lana would understand soon. It had been 3 months since her father had died and although she had tried to fill the void that he had left in her, it was almost impossible with the absence of Dean as well. He had insisted on staying with her for weeks after Gabe had died but she had stubbornly pushed him into the Impala and had sent him off to Bobby's to find something to hunt.

But as the weeks had dragged on into months, she couldn't start her life afresh. Lana had forgiven her and things were almost like they had been before the affair with Jason. But even there, there was a slight hesitation on Chloe's side. She didn't trust herself anymore, well not with the people she had hurt once before, and not in this town anymore. She was more than happy about Lana forgiving her and treating her as though the past had never happened, but there was something keeping Chloe awake at night, wondering what it was that could fill the nagging hole in her.

And when she found herself listening to Dean's graphic description of their last case (he and Sam always came back to Smallville when a case would finish) with a new eagerness, she realized it was because their life was one she was starting to crave. A sure sign was her new obsession with supernatural beings; she'd already made a good start on John's diary that Sam would lend to her while Dean and he were in Smallville. Secretly she'd started practicing her shooting skills and was starting to read up more on the creatures and demons that the boys would mention.

As a result, her work had started to suffer greatly, the fact that her heart was more into Dean and Sam's latest encounter rather than her own articles which barely met the deadline when handed to her, made it difficult to focus on weekly reports or local parade coverage in her articles. Lois had been worried about Chloe ever since she had started calling in sick more often at The Daily Planet. And when finally Chloe had handed in her resignation, Lois had watched on with her mouth gaping open.

"But this was your dream job Chloe." Lois had exclaimed in surprise. Chloe, who had been watching the distant clouds at the time, had turned to Lois and shrugged her shoulders. "That's what I used to think as well when I first started out here…. but ever since dad died…I just." She had stopped here and sighed in confusion, unable to explain properly. Lois, who had been watching the change in Chloe, had placed a hand on hers and had asked sympathetically, "His death is still in your mind isn't it?" But Chloe had shaken her head and answered, "No, that's not it…. I mean I miss dad, but I know that he's gone forever and that I've got to learn to live without him."

Chloe had looked at Lois with a brighter look in her eyes and continued, "But I'm starting afresh…. and the only way I'm going to do this is by starting in a new place, with new people and doing something different. The house seems so big all of a sudden, now that dad's not here and Lana and you are staying with the Kents, it feels too empty for me now…. I think I need a change." Lois had looked at her in realization, "You mean, you're leaving Smallville?" she had asked. When Chloe nodded slowly, Lois bit her lip and looked back up at her in sadness.

There were a few moments of silence in which Lois fought between her feelings of sadness over Chloe leaving and her feelings of relief that Chloe was making a more positive turn in her lately depressing life. Finally she had looked up and smiled gently, "I'll really miss you…. you and uncle were the only family I had." Chloe had pulled Lois into a hug and said in a muffled voice, "Even if dad's not with us anymore, I am even if I'm far away. And I'll always come over with Dean and Sam when they do…. so you won't miss me often." She said with a smile.

Lois had looked up quickly and asked, "You're going to **hunt** with Dean and Sam? Chloe are you serious?" she had never seen Chloe as the road tripping type. Chloe had nodded seriously; "Yeah I am…. don't worry Lois, I've thought about this for a long time, and I'm set on it now. I've sent most of my things into storage already…. I'll only be taking a few things with me." The decisive look in Chloe's eyes stopped Lois from saying anything even though her mouth had been open to retaliate.

The decision had been a tough one for everyone else. Chloe was surprised at how many people were saddened to hear about her going. They had thrown her a party at work before she'd left where her boss had revealed to Chloe that she'd been one of her best employees. Neighbors that Chloe had often helped around as a kid came over to bid her farewell when she packed her things and Martha's eyes moistened whenever she'd stare at Chloe for too long, remembering her when she'd been a child. Clark, Lana and Lois all tried to persuade her not to leave but she was just as determined about it than she had been before and she refused to change her decision although it was really heart warming to see them make such a fuss over her.

The news had been the most shocking to Dean and Sam who had heard about Chloe's plan over a phone call. Dean who hadn't been expecting the news, almost slid off the hood of the Impala, where he'd been sitting. "You're thinking about doing what?" he'd asked in a yelp. Chloe had sighed impatiently and had repeated that she was going to hunt with the boys. Naturally, Dean spent a good hour trying to persuade her that it wasn't a good idea before spending another half an hour listing why she wouldn't be able to survive the sort of life they lived on the road.

Chloe had replied coolly to this, "Are you telling me I can't handle the lifestyle you guys live because I'm a girl who's had an office job? Do you really think I'm that weak?" Dean had growled in frustration and had quickly defended himself, "No, that's not what I meant…. look all I'm saying is…just talk to Sam, he'll explain why."

Instantly Sam was on the phone and Chloe tiredly had to argue back and forth his reasons why she should stay in Smallville. By the end of it Chloe asked for Dean again and when he tried once more to sway her she replied, "Look Dean, I've already told everyone here that I'm leaving…. and I've packed all my stuff so I'm coming and that's it. Unless you want me to hitchhike with random people on the road, alone and open to all the demons that've probably guessed what I mean to you."

She had bit her bottom lip while trying not to smile. Chloe knew that he'd cave at this-he would never want her to leave her defenseless and vulnerable to the darkness waiting for his loved ones. She heard the frustrated growl on the other end, which had her smiling in triumph and heard Dean complain, "You are so stubborn, you know that?"

But she had her way in the end, and Dean and Sam both agreed to take her with them on their road tripping lifestyle. They were always waiting for a moment when they'd ask her if she was sure this was what she wanted to do, and she'd always give them the same answer, that yes she definitely sure she wanted to go with them and if they asked her again she'd throw something at their head.

And finally Dean and Sam were here, a couple of weeks after their last unsuccessful conversation with Chloe, having finished up on their latest hunt that had consisted of a pair of dead lovers who's been on a killing spree for a while. They didn't need to tell her twice to get her things ready, she'd done that weeks before that. Lois, Lana, Clark and Martha were all watching and waiting with her, sometimes giving her a wistful look (already dreading the thought of a Smallville without Chloe). But the excited smile she'd give them made them realize she'd be the happiest she'd been in a long time and they didn't want to take that away from her with their uncertainties.

When the sounds of the Impala's tires reached Chloe's ears, she got up instantly and smiled again widely at Clark who stepped towards the other car. They were all up on their feet and gathered near the Impala almost instantly and Dean had a second to see everyone standing around him before Chloe tackled him with a strong hug. He smiled into her hair and held her tightly. When she pulled apart, his eyebrows rose slightly and he asked, "You trying to butter me up?" She grinned back at him as an answer, making everyone smile at her reaction-it was a shade of the old Chloe, they had been trying to glimpse.

Meanwhile, Sam had greeted everyone like they were family, because they weren't like anything less to him and Dean. Lois had been silently watching him get pulled into a warm hug by Martha when his eyes locked with hers. He pulled away from Martha as she moved on to strangle and hug Dean next, his smile widening as Lois's mirrored his.

She simply held her arms out to him and melted into him when he pulled her close, telling her how much he'd missed her. Lana smiled at the difference between the two cousin's greetings towards their boyfriends-Lois and Sam were always soft and gentle with each other while Dean and Chloe were always lively and impulsive with each other.

Finally when everyone had made small chitchat, Chloe turned to Martha and gave her a long hug, remembering all the times when the older woman had acted as a mother figure for her. Martha's eyes filled up and a watery smile settled on her face as she patted Chloe on the back. "You just do what's right for you okay dear? Don't let yourself be pulled down by anything." She told her as she gave her a last pat.

Chloe nodded and smiled at her words before moving to Lana, who hugged her at once. "I wish you weren't going…. I don't want to be the reason-" she started but Chloe shook her head quickly and cut her off with, "You're not, Lana what happened in the past is just that, the past…. both of us have worked around it. I just need to try something different in life; I'll always be incomplete if I don't try to change myself somehow. This is my step towards changing." She said, speaking to Lana gently.

Lana nodded but admitted, "I still wish you were here, I'm going to miss you a lot…. but I know that you need to do this and that we've got to let you go." Chloe grinned but Lana added quickly, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you disappear without a trace for weeks on end…you better be in touch." Chloe laughed and Lois who'd just stepped up next to them nodded.

"Yeah, if I don't get at least a text message every day, I'm going to march right over and drag you back here." Her cousin rolled her eyes at that and gave her a hug as well, knowing that she'd miss her cousin more than anyone when she'd be out on the road. "Just find what you're looking for fast and get back so that I can beat you at foosball again." She said, her voice becoming that little bit thicker and making Chloe's bottom lip tremble a bit as well.

"Well if you really want to lose Barbie, then I can arrange that for you." Dean said smugly, moving over to the girls with Clark and Sam. They were grateful for the lighter change he brought into the conversation. Lois rolled her eyes but replied pleasantly, "You know, I've always wondered what it would be like to have a brother…. and since I've met you, I'm glad I don't have one." He grinned back and thumped Clark on his back (wincing as he did-what was the guy made of…Steel?). "Let's go put her suitcase into the booth. We should get going soon if we're going to find a stop at night." He added seriously.

Chloe took this as her cue and while Clark helped load her suitcase into the Impala, although she was sure there was something more to it-her suitcase wasn't **that** heavy (and the two guys were talking really quietly which made her sure they were talking about how to keep her safe), she said her last good byes with moist eyes.

She was leaving behind her old life, her tainted life, to start a new one. There was no way of being perfect-she knew that, but at least there was a way of repenting. And she wasn't doing it out of pure guilt of what had happened between Lana, Jason and herself.

She was doing it to fix the weakness she felt within herself, to start something strong to wipe out the insecurity the past months had imbedded her with. And she was going to start her new life with the man who had taught her to live through her misery, that one ray of hope through her darkest times- with Dean.

Martha gave her another hug while Lois smiled faintly, over Sam's shoulder. Lana and Clark both hugged her again; Clark's hug nearly squeezing the air out of her while Lana's hug demonstrated the tenderness of the moment. Sam offered his byes as well and gave Lois a last lingering kiss. He placed a hand on Chloe's shoulder momentarily to signal their departure and she nodded, quickly smiling widely at what she felt was the only family apart from her dad that she'd known.

They all smiled back, their faces bravely fare welling the petite blonde who had always been an important part of their lives. Dean gave their hands a last squeeze and promised to take care of her, which they didn't doubt for a second.

Finally Chloe, Dean and Sam walked to the Impala. Chloe turned when she reached the car and waved, while she got into the backseat. Sam and Dean got into the front, Dean proudly sitting at the driver's seat to symbolize his ownership and love to the car. He started the engine; the sound and vibration making her insides quiver with an excitement she hadn't felt in a long time. Her nervous smile widened again more confidently and as the Impala rolled away past the Kent's home, she waved happily at them, making them smile genuinely as well.

Dean smiled back at them as well and as they drove away he said, "Whatever decision you make, I'm with you alright?" Her eyes connected with his in the rearview mirror and she nodded, "I know you are. Don't worry Dean, you're not going to regret taking me with you." Dean smiled softly and then said, "Except for stopping to shop-I think I might just get lost when you decide to do that." Sam rolled his eyes at this while she laughed, nodding. She could already tell that this was the right decision, and that she was going to love every moment of the journey that was about to begin.

THE END

**YAY!! It's over….lol. Don't get me wrong, I loved writing this story but it just stretched on forever and ever. I was the writer of it and I got a bit bored of it. But I tried to give Chloe the ending she deserved and I hope all you guys who read this enjoyed the story. I know it was quite angsty but for some reason I like writing angst with a happy ending. Thank you all to those who reviewed and read this story…. you guys kept me motivated to finish it off instead of casting into cyber space. I love you all heaps for reviewing and being such nice readers. Please do read my other stories if you enjoyed this one. Thanks and lots of love and gratitude.**

**Verina100**


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